ROCK CREEK ADVENTUROUS TALES
PART 2

GHOSTS FROM THE PAST

by Debra © 2001

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Indian summer shines brightly the next morning over the ranch. A light breeze wisps across the ranch, but doesn't touch the heat of this day in October. The warmth is a welcome feeling for the residents who live in and near Rock Creek. No one is quite ready for another brutal winter with snowfalls that sometimes exceed past an adult man's knee.

With the men all out tracking Jesse James and The James Gang, the women of the ranch have been left with all the work to do. Of course, the men left Cody behind, but he isn't one to do chores. Cody is more supervisory material. So with Cody not being much help in the laborious department, the women will have to contend with taking care of the horses, the rest of the ranch, the children, and the home.

This morning the women are taking care of themselves. Louise, Rachel and Jane are lounging around the front porch of Louise's home as they watch the children playing kick the ball in the front of the house.

Rachel has made a pitcher of ice-cold lemonade to sooth away the heat of the day as well as the tension that the women are all feeling with their men being away from the ranch.

Louise is sitting on a chair with her twisted ankle propped up on the seat of another chair adorned with an over-stuffed pillow for comfort. Rachel and Jane are occupying the wooden swing that adorns Louise's porch. Jane has kicked her shoes off and is pushing the swing gently with her bare feet. Rachel is fanning herself with a small paper fan that she is holding in her hand. Autumn had arrived a few weeks ago, but the women lounging on the porch are wondering where the autumn weather has disappeared to. As the women sip on their lemonade they are listening and watching the games their children are playing in the front yard.

"I wouldn't mind another female guest in my house for a short while, but I couldn't tolerate her if I knew she was having thoughts about bedding my husband," Louise spoke glancing over at Jane.

"I don't have much say in the matter where Charlene is concerned. Besides, Buck is not my husband," Jane spoke disheartened.

"Like I said before, we have to find a plan to get that obnoxious woman out of Buck's home," Rachel spoke amusingly.

"We could pack her bags and move her out into the barn," Louise spoke with a mischievous grin spread across her face.

"Are you sure the horses wouldn't mind?" Jane asked playing along with Louise's witticism.

"Katy might," Rachel spoke smiling.

"So, am I to understand that we can't move Charlene out to the barn?" Louise asked giggling at the mere thought of Charlene nesting in a horse stall.

"We could move her in with Cody. I've seen the two of them in deep conversation a lot lately. Perhaps they are falling in love," Rachel spoke seriously.

"I don't think it is love they're falling into," Jane spoke with a hint of sarcasm in her tone of voice.

Louise glances at Rachel with a quizzical look on her face. Rachel too has no idea what Jane is referring to.

Rachel gazes at Jane wanting to question the young woman's statement concerning Cody and the next vixen in their lives that will surely be causing trouble. "Do you know what's going on between Charlene and Cody?"

"No, I don't. I'm just figuring that if Charlene's involved it has to be something devious."

"Cody hasn't been acting his usual boisterous self lately," Louise spoke calmly.

"That would probably be my fault. I haven't been too friendly with him since our dinner date."

"You had dinner with Cody?" Louise questioned not knowing about Jane and Cody's date.

A wide smile appears on Jane's face. "Didn't Kid tell you about it?"

Kid knew about your date with Cody?" Louise asked more baffled then ever. "Jane, please just tell me what's going on. I don't handle suspense very well."

"Kid was there," Jane replied trying to make Louise even more confused.

"Kid went on you and Cody's date?"

Rachel is busting up with laughter at Louise's apparent blindness to the entire event. "You'll have to excuse Louise. Kid pretty much keeps her in the dark."

Jane is confused now. She had thought that Louise and Kid shared everything. She sees a perfect marriage with the two of them, except for an outside force named Hickok that pulls them away from each other from time to time. "Kid and Teaspoon were at the restaurant when Cody and I were on our date. Although, I'm pretty sure Teaspoon and Kid were just there keeping a watchful eye on Cody and I."

"Why do you think that?" Louise asked with a hint of sarcasm. "Those two couldn't possibly stir up any trouble, now could they?"

"They were trying to make themselves unknown to Cody and I, but they were too uproarious, and loud-mouthed to keep their secret from me. I'm sure they had Cody fooled though."

"It's funny that Kid never mentioned going to dinner with Teaspoon," Louise spoke her mind racing backwards to try and remember if Kid had mentioned it and she simply forgot about him mentioning it.

"I think they were trying to keep their date low-keyed," Jane spoke amusingly.

"I doubt that the two of them could be low-keyed about sneaking around spying on other people," Rachel spoke seriously.

"Well, I do know that when Cody and I left the restaurant, Kid looked to be drenched and he absolutely seemed to be having the worse time of his life," Jane spoke grinning about Kid's miserable time with Teaspoon.

"Good. That will teach him to go out to dinner with Teaspoon instead of his wife," Louise spoke giggling softly at Kid's expense.

"How is your plan going on getting Buck alone? I'm sure by now the two of you are talking wedding plans, and how many children are going to be running around the house clad with dark hair, brown eyes and bare feet," Louise asked believing that Jane and Buck have consummated their relationship despite Charlene's attempts to keep them from doing so."

"Actually, Buck and I haven't been able to get past kissing each other senseless," Jane spoke sounding a bit weary as if she is just about ready to give up on them ever being together in a more intimate way.

Louise shows a stunned expression. She had thought the two of them had already made love despite Buck's being in jail for three days. It never dawned on her that their attempts at making love have all been inefficacious. "I'm sorry, Jane. I didn't realize that you and Buck haven't been able to be together."

"There are just so many intrusions," Jane spoke disheartened. "Then there's Buck."

Rachel stops the swing abruptly from swinging. She glances at Jane with concern for Buck. "What about Buck?"

Jane senses immediately that she has somehow made Rachel believe that there is something wrong with Buck. "It's nothing serious. Buck will only allow himself to go so far with me, and then he stops. It seems to me that all the intrusions aren't bothering him the same way that they are bothering me."

"Oh, I'm sure the intrusions are upsetting to Buck. You know Jane, Buck hasn't been around many women that took such a liking to him as quickly as you have. Did you know that once Buck had asked our resident wicked witch out to dinner?" Louise asked trying to help Jane understand the man she loves.

"Charlene?"

"Yep. The date never took place though. At that time in Charlene's life, Buck wasn't good enough for her," Louise spoke with a tone of dislike for Charlene for hurting Buck.

"Why?"

"It had to do with Buck being part Kiowa. It didn't sit well with Charlene that Buck is part Indian."

"That wretched woman! How dare she barge in on Buck's life now and try to manipulate us. All this time she has been acting like I am trespassing in on what is rightfully hers." Jane spoke barely able to control her temper.

"Don't worry yourself too much concerning Charlene, Jane. I've been around these boys for quite a few years now, and I can see who it is that has a hold on Buck's heart. He has no interest in Charlene. His love for a woman begins and ends with you," Rachel spoke wisely.

"You never did say WHY YOU HAD DINNER WITH CODY?" Louise asked wondering what would make a woman that loves Buck go out with Cody.

"Cody has been rather preoccupied with me ever since we met. I really didn't think that I had done anything to mislead Cody into speculating that I had feelings for him deeper than friendship. But, his feelings are quite clear to me. Cody wants more then what I can give. In the process, I believe that Cody is unintentionally blaming Buck. The dinner date was a way for me to be alone with Cody, so I could set him straight about my feelings for him as well as for Buck."

"How did Cody take your confession?" Louise asked concerned for her family.

"I think Cody believes that I am a prize that is to be won between him and Buck. I don't think Cody is ready to concede to Buck," Jane stated somberly.

"Don't look now, but our resident witch is fast approaching," Louise spoke amusingly.

Charlene intrudes her way onto the porch. She is quite somber as she sits down on the porch steps all the while viewing the women who are quietly relaxing on the porch. "You don't have to become so sedate just because of my appearance," Charlene spoke angrily.

"We aren't ignoring you Charlene. We are simply slacking off today while the men are far off chasing after thieves," Rachel spoke before Jane or Louise mistakenly told Charlene, in an uncompassionate manner, that they were all discussing her demise away from the ranch.

"How do you all know Jesse James?" Charlene asked trying not to show her conspicuous fear of the outlaw.

"Jane doesn't really know Jesse, but Louise and I know Jesse from when he worked with us for The Pony Express a few years back."

"I see. Is he a man of his word?" Charlene asked innocently trying to hide her comradeship with Jesse.

"Jesse is an outlaw, Charlene. What outlaw do you know that keeps his word?" Louise spoke mocking Charlene's simple-mindedness.

Jane and Rachel let a small snicker escape from their lips. Before long the women on the porch are quiet again.

"Suppose if Jesse were to make a threat, then would he be a man of his word?" Charlene asked with a feeling of dread attached to her question.

Louise glances back at Jane and Rachel. No words are spoken between the three friends. They unceremoniously rise from the furniture they have adorned all morning, and one by one they ambulate into the tranquil comfort of Louise's home. Not to mention the fact that they don't invite Charlene to accompany them.

The tremendous heat of the afternoon is causing the marshal and his deputies to become weary before nightfall. Buck is slightly ahead of the rest of the group with Kid close behind him. Either Buck's expertise tracking or Jesse's well devised plan to allow Buck to track him and his gang, have established the group a long way from home. Teaspoon and Jack Morgan are in the middle of the entourage, and Jimmy is creeping along like the last cowboy into camp after a torturous day in smoldering heat rounding up the last of a cattle drive.

Buck's tracking has guided them to a rolling, greenery highland. A trail, that is used often, cuts through the hills making Buck's job of tracking the outlaws an easy task.

"Does this seem too easy to you?" Kid asked uncertain that Jesse might be leading them into a trap.

"Jesse definitely isn't making this a complicated task," Buck spoke certain that Jesse is leading them into a trap.

"What do you think we should do? We can't just allow ourselves to blindly ride into a trap.

Teaspoon and Jack comprehend that Buck and Kid are debating over something rather seriously. They both gallop their horse a bit faster to get to where Buck and Kid are at on the trail. The two younger men halt any further advancement speculating that the two older men wish to speak with them.

"What's on your mind, Buck?" Teaspoon asked concerned that there must be something wrong for Buck to be acting suspiciously.

"This is too easy. I know Jesse can cover his tracks better than this. I'm almost certain that Jesse is leading us into an entrapment," Buck stated wearily.

At this point in the conversation, Jimmy has caught up to the group gathered at the foot of another extending hill.

"I say we keep moving," Jack bellowed in a commanding tone.

"We could be headed straight into a crossfire! I won't risk anyone's life just because you are seeking the bounty money offered for Jesse's life," Buck spoke adamantly.

"I don't believe this is your decision to make," Jack spoke harshly to the Kiowa.

"Jack, we need to be a bit cautious where the James Gang are concerned. You said so yourself that they are a ruthless bunch. We sure don't need anyone losing their life over a few thousand dollars of bounty money," Teaspoon spoke commandingly.

"Who are you really trying to protect here, Teaspoon?" Jack asked throwing Teaspoon's protection agreement with Jesse in his face.

"Your line of questioning is uncalled for. Teaspoon has a job to do, and that is to apprehend The James Gang with minimum gunfire as possible," Jimmy spoke outraged with Jack Morgan and his over-persistent personal identity.

"Perhaps a compromise is in order here. We'll track past this here hill, and set up camp on the other side. We'll see how the situation looks on the other side," Teaspoon spoke with authority.

Teaspoon gazes at each man searching for approvals from all of them before moving on. He gauges each man's reaction to his suggestion. Jack of course agrees without a hint of disapproval. Jimmy motions with his hand for the group to move forward. Teaspoon's eyes turn to the young man whose eyes are looking away from the group. He knows how well Buck can sense when a situation is going to turn bad. He watches as Buck visually scopes out the land in front of them. There aren't too many hiding places for a gang of outlaws to be waiting for a bunch of lawmen to invade their territory. Even with that in mind, he still senses apprehension coming from the Kiowa, which in turn also makes Kid looking a little nervous as he practically is biting his lower lip off!

"Buck, tell me what's on your mind," Teaspoon asked calmly.

Buck turns his attention back to Teaspoon. His features are a little worrisome, but not enough to convince Teaspoon that an all out battle with Jesse is going to occur any time soon.

"I think it's safe enough for us to advance to the other side of this hill," Buck spoke almost too softly for Teaspoon to hear him.

"Lets move out!" Jack spoke as he rides out ahead of Teaspoon and the others.

Teaspoon gazes at Buck in silence for a brief moment. "You're saying it's safe, but you're not doing a very good acting job convincing me that it's all right for us to move on."

"Back at the ranch you asked me to avoid bloodshed, to avoid a gunfight if at all possible. Now, you're letting this friend of yours from the past override any thought of danger that I have. Why? Do you all of a sudden want Jesse dragged home on a travois with a bullet in his head?" Buck asked enraged.

"I didn't realize you cared so much about Jesse's demise," Teaspoon stated softly to the man that he has hurt so much of late.

"I want Jesse out of our lives. I never said I wanted him dead."

"Buck, if you don't think it's safe up over the other side of this hill, I'm more than willing to search for a way around the hills," Jimmy spoke calmly. His interruption is to merely get Teaspoon and Buck away from a possible argument between them. The two stubborn men are talking, but just the mention of Jesse's name sends them both down the wrong path.

"It's safe enough," Buck spoke quietly.

"Then lets ride out so we can get a camp setup before nightfall," Jimmy spoke flatly.

The four men from the old Pony Express days ride on over the hill to catch up with Jack Morgan. Only this time, Buck trails behind the rest.

NEXT

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