ROCK CREEK ADVENTUROUS TALES
PART 2

GHOSTS FROM THE PAST

by Debra © 2001

*this story contain adult themes*

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Jane had decided right from the start of this evening out with Cody that she wasn't going to make herself anything real special to look at. This isn't a dinner date with the man she loves. So she kept her dress rather simple, but Cody's eyes are still sparkling with love.

The dress she decided on is more like an everyday dress of navy blue cotton with tiny flowers embedded throughout the print. The scoop neckline that does enhance her figure is the only seductive part of the dress. Even with the sleeves of the dress going to her wrists, Jane still brought along a solid navy blue shawl to keep the chill away. She doesn't want Cody insisting that he be allowed to keep her warm.

Cody had chosen a corner table with some privacy for their night out together. As Jane looks at the menu, Cody stares at her with such intensity that he could almost burn a hole through the menu she's holding.

Jane feels his eyes bearing down on her. She wonders if he plans on doing the ordering for their dinner. It seems to her that he hasn't glanced at the menu even once. She places the menu down in front of her. "Have you even looked at the menu?"

Cody realizes she has caught him staring. "Oh. I'm sorry Jane. I'm just having a hard time keeping my eyes off of your astounding beauty," Cody spoke with stars in his eyes.

"The waitress will be back here before long to take our order. I suggest you decide what it is you want for dinner before you make a fool out of yourself."

"I'll just have whatever you're having," Cody spoke blindsided by the love he feels for her.

"Cody, I think it is proper for the man to do the ordering when he takes a lady out to dinner," Jane spoke harsher than she had intended to. She sits at the table not admiring the immature man sitting across from her. How could she have ever agreed to this ludicrous date with Cody? The two men in her life, who claim their love to her, are as dissimilar as the deep darkness of night, and the brightest sunrise of the great west. She isn't quite sure how she deals with such totally opposite men. Cody has the most abstruse personality Jane has ever been in contact with. It may have something to do with the well-versed lies he tells. Cody is a nice enough man, but he makes it difficult for another to separate the truth he may tell from the lies that he does tell. Then there is Buck. He is a man that couldn't tell a lie if his life depended on it. A man that is driven by passion, whether it be for justice, honor, love, betrayal or any emotion that he feels. He always wants to do what is right, and he does it with the truth instead of a pact of lies. The way Buck looks when he's looking at her goes a long way in telling Jane just how deeply his love for her penetrates his heart.

"Oh yeah. I guess you're right," Cody stumbled through his words.

Teaspoon and Kid are seated at the corner table that is right next to Cody and Jane. A short wall and a few large plants are between the two tables. The two men are holding their menus up to their face so the chance of Cody seeing them is lessened. Teaspoon had decided that this was the only way he was going to be able to keep an eye on Jane, as he had promised Buck he would do, and also listen in on Cody and Jane's conversation.

Kid peeks out from behind his menu and takes notice that the waitress is at Cody and Jane's table taking their order. As soon as the waitress disappears, Kid quickly places his menu back in front of his face. "Teaspoon," Kid whispered.

"What is it?" Teaspoon replied whispering.

"I have one question for you. How are we going to eat with these menus stuck to our face all night?" Kid spoke whispering.

Just about this time the waitress appears at Kid and Teaspoon's table a bit baffled by the two men and their actions.

Teaspoon glances from behind his menu at the waitress. "Sorry miss. We'll both have the steak and potatoes and corn with coffee," Teaspoon spoke quietly as the waitress leans forward to try and hear what he is saying.

"That would be soup and beans and coffee with milk," She repeated with a disgusted look on her face.

Teaspoon puts his face up to his hands in a frustrated manner. "No, no, no! We asked for steak and potatoes with corn, and black coffee," He whispered.

"Look mister, if you expect me to get your order right, you're going to have to talk like a normal person. I wasn't hired to read lips."

Kid gazes over the situation carefully. If he doesn't handle this himself, he's afraid the two of them may never get served dinner. "Miss, we would like the steak and potatoes with corn and black coffee," Kid spoke in a normal tone.

She smiles warmly at Kid. "I like you. You're cute, and so much easier to get along with then your grumpy, old friend." After she takes their order down correctly, she tries to take the menus out of the two men's hands. Both men have such a strong grip on them that she ends up ripping the menus before she gets them out of their hands.

Kid and Teaspoon both look embarrassed about the destruction of the menus. "Sorry again miss," Teaspoon spoke quietly.

"Uh… we just wanted something to read while we wait for our dinner to arrive," Kid spoke slightly turning a few shades of red.

The waitress walks away from their table looking a bit disgusted, with the torn menus in her hands. The two men watch her leave feeling a little ridiculous about their actions.

"Now look what you've gone and done. We'll probably have to work off the expense of those menus in the kitchen doing the dirty dishes," Teaspoon grunted quietly.

"Me! I was only following your lead," Kid spoke louder than he had intended to.

Teaspoon brings a finger to his lips to quiet Kid. "Ssssssssh."

While Kid and Teaspoon are arguing, Cody and Jane's waitress is serving them their meals.

"Thank-you," Jane spoke to the waitress as she serves them and then leaves them to enjoy their meal.

Jane puts her napkin on her lap and begins to cut her steak into small pieces. Cody just watches Jane with devotion, and doesn't touch his meal. While staring at Jane, Cody does manage to tuck his napkin down his shirt neckline.

Cody smiles at the enthusiastic way that she gently attacks her meal. He'd have no patience cutting every piece of food into small pieces that are then chewable to her. His idea of enjoying his food is to devour it whole! Just as he'd like to do with her!

Jane glances up, after cutting her steak, to see that Cody has not touched anything on his plate, but has only been watching her. "Do you always watch your dinner guests with such devotion? I figured you to be the type of man who doesn't want to be interrupted by idle small talk or anything else when he's busy with his meal."

Kid stifles an outburst of laughter. "Jane sure has Cody pegged," Kid whispered to Teaspoon.

"Well I only watch my dinner guests when they're as lovely as you. Most of the time though, that isn't the case," Cody replied somberly.

Jane wonders what type of dinner guests Cody has been to dinner with. "Are you telling me that you usually have an ugly woman sitting opposite yourself at the dinner table?" Jane asked with pity in her eyes for Cody's misfortune.

"Well most of my dinner guests of late have been ugly men wearing army uniforms," Cody replied flatly.

Kid can't hold his laughter inside any longer. It simply has to come out. He makes a hideous noise, as he tries to control is laughter by holding his breath. His laugh comes out more like a burping hiccup!

Cody looks around briefly with an annoyed expression had him wondering who it is ruining his romantic evening with Jane. He isn't sure which table the rude noise came from, so he sits back down in his chair to give all his attention to Jane.

Teaspoon leans over the table and clasps his hand over Kid's mouth. In the process of doing so, Teaspoon knocks over Kid's glass of ice water! It spills all over the table before Teaspoon can catch the glass and sit it upright.

Teaspoon turns his head around to view Cody. He wants to make sure he hasn't detected their presence in the restaurant. As Teaspoon is making sure all is well at the next table, Kid starts jumping up and down on his chair by the seat of his pants!

Unbeknown to Teaspoon, the water he had spilled from the knocked over glass if ice water, is running off the table edge and onto the front of Kid's trousers! Giving Kid a cold awakening!

Kid can't make Teaspoon aware of what is happening to him as the cold water continues to dribble onto his trousers. His only course of action is to bite down on Teaspoon's hand!

Teaspoon jumps up as Kid's teeth sink into the marshal's flesh! As Teaspoon jumps up, he feels the pain in his hand and pulls it away from Kid's mouth. He has no time to think when his knees hit the underside of their table. The table starts to tip over, but Teaspoon isn't paying it any mind. He is grasping onto his knees with both hands trying not to cry out in pain! He clinches his teeth together to stop the pain in his knees, and he squeezes his eyes shut in hopes of shutting out the pain he must endure because of Kid's biting him!

Kid spies the chain reaction happening before his eyes! The table starts to tip with the other glass of water on it. He grabs onto the edges of the table with both hands to steady it! However, his attempts are futile to save the other glass of water! The glass hits the table with a crash, and the water sprays up into Kid's face!

Teaspoon opens his eyes from the pain that is now subsiding, only to see Kid wearing water in his hair, dripping from his face, and soaking the shirt he is wearing. "What in blazes are you doing?" Teaspoon spoke with a quiet harshness.

Kid picks up his cloth napkin, which is also dripping with water. He wrings it out on the table and proceeds to wipe his face off.

Their waitress approaches their table with their dinner orders. She stops abruptly from placing their plates down on the table when she sees the condition it is in. Everything in sight is drenched with water. Their tablecloth, cloth napkins, and the younger man of the two seems to have suffered the most from the sudden water battle going on at their table! Her eyes finally meet with the two men sitting at the table with a laughing smile upon her face. "We have children that dine here that don't even make this kind of a mess!"

"We're….uh…very sorry ma'am," Teaspoon uttered quietly.

"Well you're just going to have to eat your meal from a wet tablecloth," she spoke loud enough to embarrass the two men who must play.

"That will be fine," Kid spoke softly. He just wants this night of torment to be over with.

The waitress places their plates down in front of them. She picks up the overturned water glass and walks away from their table just about busting up with laughter.

Kid gently wrings out the edges of the tablecloth on his side to keep the water from its continuous dripping onto his trousers. Their mishaps have developed a small pool of water underneath Kid's chair. "Remind me again why I accepted a dinner invitation with you," Kid asked flatly.

"Cause you love me," Teaspoon replied with a wink and a smile.

Kid can only respond by rolling his eyes.

Cody has started to eat his meal. Jane will be finished with her, and his meal will be left to get cold if he doesn't do something to rectify the situation. With every bite he takes, Cody continues to stare blindly at Jane as if she would disappear the second he would take his eyes off her.

Jane is feeling a bit uncomfortable that Cody keeps watching her. She doesn't feel that Cody loves her at all, but rather that he is obsessed with having her for his own. Jane tells herself that those feelings toward another person are not good. The way that Cody is obsessed with her reminds Jane of how Charlene is with Buck. She feels that Charlene would stop at nothing to keep her and Buck apart!

Jane stops eating for a moment to try and verify from Cody the feelings that she is getting from him. "I agreed to have dinner with you for one reason Cody."

"What's the one reason Jane," Cody asked smiling warmly at her.

She doesn't wish to hurt him, but she simply can't let him continue to think that there is some sort of hope for her and him in a relationship. "I have been wanting for some time now to talk with you about my feelings regarding you and regarding Buck."

"Why do you have to bring Buck into our evening together?" Cody asked more harshly than he had intended to sound.

Jane is stunned by the cruelness in Cody's tone of voice. This is Buck, a family member that Cody is trying to omit from his life. "I have to bring Buck into the conversation because you blackmailed me into having dinner with you because of Buck's situation!" Jane spoke being just as harsh with Cody, and more honest then Cody will ever be.

"All right. I'm sorry. Lets just both calm down and start over," Cody spoke more calmly then before.

"Remember the evening you rescued me from Simon's brutal attack at the schoolhouse?"

"How could I ever forget that evening? I wanted to hunt him down like the animal that he is, but you were so vulnerable in my arms. I couldn't leave you alone," Cody spoke with a twinkle in his eyes for Jane.

"I knew that I had met you before, but I couldn't place where it had been. But, I sensed that you were a good man and that I could trust you. Then you sent Buck to bring me back to the ranch. I took one look at Buck and I fell."

"Buck pushed you?" Cody spoke dumfounded.

Teaspoon who has just taken a large gulp of coffee loses control of his laughter at how ridiculous Cody sounds, and sprays the beverage at Kid! "Oops," Teaspoon spoke quietly as he gets control of his senses.

Kid squints open his eyes and proceeds to wipe the hot coffee from his face with his already drenched napkin! "Thanks Teaspoon, but uh… I have my own coffee. You can keep yours."

Teaspoon glances at Kid pathetically. "I'll try to remember that."

"No Cody! I meant I fell in love the second I saw Buck after not being in his life for seven years."

"How can you fall in love that quickly?" Cody asked bitterly.

"You could ask yourself that same question Cody. I'm not blind. I can see that you have strong feelings for me. But, I can't return those same feelings for you."

"What if Buck weren't around?" Cody asked without emotion.

Teaspoon and Kid both halt the chewing they are doing on their meal. Their ears perk up as they both try to hear the admittance of guilt that Cody is about to do.

"Is that what is going on with you accusing Buck of murder, and then forcing him to stay locked up in jail while you hunt for a witness that probably doesn't really exist?" Jane asked calmly. Her emotions are starting to get the best of her. She knows she has to stay calm if she is ever to get the truth out of Cody.

"I don't like being accused of something that is so absurd! I wouldn't bring harm to Buck knowing that he could very well hang for these crimes," Cody spoke harshly.

"Then where is your witness? Why hasn't he made an official statement concerning want he saw at the scene of the murder?"

"I haven't been able to locate him. He may have been frightened off due to the seriousness of the charges."

"I can except that, but for how long is Buck going to have to wait in jail until your witness decides to make his appearance?" Jane asked softly.

"Is there nothing I can do to make you fall out of love with Buck?" Cody asked somberly.

"There is nothing you can do Cody. I love Buck. My love for him will never die," Jane spoke quietly from her heart.

"I need to get you home. I have to get an early start tomorrow searching for my witness again," Cody spoke hurt and defeated.

Cody makes his way over to her and helps Jane from her chair. The two leave the restaurant.

As they are leaving Jane turns her head around and winks at Teaspoon and Kid!

Kid waves good-bye to her. Teaspoon abruptly slaps Kid's hands down onto the table only to have them hit into his plate of uneaten food. His facial expression is one of sheer pain as he lifts his hand off the plate! Kid holds his hand over his plate as the gravy from his untouched mashed potatoes drips from his hand, while the mashed potatoes stay stuck to his palm!

"This certainly has been one of the worst dates I have ever been on!" Kid spoke harshly.

"Does that mean you don't ever plan on going out with me again?" Teaspoon asked with an amusing smile playing on his face.

Kid rolls his eyes, and doesn't even answer the old man.

In the midst of all the men being away from the ranch, the shadows of men on horses are making their get away with another half a dozen horses that belong to The Kid & Buck Horse Ranch!

Rachel is scanning the goings on from inside her home. She is looking out her bedroom window that is on the second floor, and high enough to view the barn and corrals, and who it is that's involved with the horse thievery! She watches as the outlaws ride out of the corral and head onto the plains behind the ranch. She lets go of the curtain she had been grasping onto and slumps down into the chair next to the window. She is in total shock. How could the boy she once loved have turned into such a deceitful man?

"Jesse, how can you continue to do this to your family?" Rachel spoke in a whisper.

The long blade of the knife had gone deeply into the man's soul. Her only remorse is that her victim hadn't put up much of a fight. Were they really all such meek men? You would think that army soldiers would be strong for their cause. The first four victims hadn't been much of a fight, and it had been four against one! The next two soldiers had been snooping around the ranch too much. They weren't really on the list to die, but they were too close to finding out the secrets of the night. Then there was poor, old Mister Carson. He had a voluptuous appetite. An appetite that was never satisfied until his blood truly satisfied the blade's animalistic appetite. There is one more. Henry Walker. He really didn't deserve to die, but the blade had driven its beholder to take another victim!

Soon it will all stop. But, not until every last man has been punished for his wrong doings. Then the knife will rest in its box, and never appear again!