The Young Riders: Buck Cross Prompt 85 -- She
Title: One More River
Fandom: The Young Riders
Characters: Buck Cross, Teaspoon, Polly, Kid, Lou, Jeremiah, Theresa
Prompt: 085 -- She
Word Count: 863
Rating: PG-13
Summary: The Pony Express has ended, and the Civil War has torn the Express family apart. A few of them decide to strike out across the country to Oregon and a fresh start.
Author's Note: This is section 44 of a continuing story dealing with the journey from Rock Creek, Nebraska, to the West Coast via the Oregon Trail.
Julie stood at the back door, arms wrapped protectively around her shoulders, staring out toward the tent city. Sam and Buck had ridden that way some time ago, and it wasn’t as though she could still see them. And yet, for some reason, she kept looking.
Buck had surprised her that morning with his proposal - that she stay there, in Fort Laramie with Emma, while he helped Sam track down the outlaws. All of his reasons were good, that they could use the break from travel, and that Sam could use the help in bringing a ruthless gang to justice.
She’d agreed, of course, the words coming out of her mouth almost as though someone else was speaking them. Inside, a voice in her head was screaming no, that she didn’t want him to leave.
But it wasn’t as though she had any claim on him. And trying to hold him too tight might just lead to losing him totally.
“Are you all right?”
Julie jumped at the sound of the voice, and turned quickly. “I’m fine,” she replied, just as quickly, though her voice trembled a bit.
Emma didn’t look quite convinced, but she didn’t push the point. “It’ll be nice having another woman around for a few days,” she said. “I haven’t met many of the women here yet.”
“Thank you for letting me stay,” Julie said softly. “I’ll try not to be a bother.”
“Don’t you worry about that,” Emma replied.
Julie felt her hands shaking and she turned back to the window, trying to hide her fear. Emma had already been so kind, and it wasn’t fair to burden her.
“Julie?”
“He is coming back, isn’t he?” Julie asked, almost whispering. There, the words were out, despite her best efforts not to say them.
“Buck? Well of course he is.”
Despite the certainty in Emma’s voice, Julie found herself anything but reassured. In fact, if anything, she was shaking even more. Just then she felt Emma’s hands on her shoulders, and her resolve crumbled. She turned and found herself wrapped in the older woman’s comforting embrace.
“Julie, what is it?”
“He could . . .” She stopped, sniffling. “He could just leave.”
“He gave you his word, didn’t he?”
Julie nodded.
“He’s a man of his word.”
Julie wiped at her eyes and nodded again. “I know,” she said softly. “Oh, I don’t know why I’m so scared! I know he is going to leave at some point. That’s our agreement.”
Emma steered the younger woman to a chair at the table and then paused to pour two mugs of coffee. She set them on the table and sat down. “What makes you so afraid if you know he’s going to leave?” she asked carefully.
“I don’t . . .” Julie stammered, unable - unwilling - to bare her soul and answer totally honestly. “I know I can trust Buck,” she finally said. “I don’t know who else I can trust. Once he leaves . . .”
“Is that the only reason?” Emma prodded gently.
Julie looked down and lifted her coffee mug.
“You haven’t fallen in love with him, have you?”
“No!” The denial came out a little too fast. “I mean . . . yes . . . oh, I don’t know!”
“Julie . . .”
“I can’t let myself think about that, Emma.”
“Why not?”
“It was a promise, that the marriage was in name only. I’ve already taken him away from his friends for too long. I won’t have him think I’m trying to trap him.”
“A lot of things have changed,” Emma suggested.
Julie shook her head, sad eyes focused on her coffee. “A promise,” was her only reply.
Emma hid a sigh by taking a long sip of her own coffee. Buck and Julie had obviously developed feelings for each other, despite the terms of their agreement. The fact that neither would admit it, nor make a move to try and change things, was frustrating. And it really wasn’t her business to try and change that.
She could hear Sam’s voice very clearly, telling her not to interfere.
Of course, that didn’t mean that she couldn’t prod a little, hopefully in the right direction.
“Well, what would you like to do today?” Emma asked, her tone light, as if the previous conversation hadn’t happened.
Julie looked up, wiping at her eyes. “Buck traded for some skins and furs,” she suggested. “He said if we’ll be traveling into the fall, I should have something warmer to wear.” And he had used the term ‘we’ she realized - a realization that made her feel a little better.
Emma nodded immediately. “I brought all my sewing supplies,” she said. “And if we need anything else we can walk over to the general store when Sam Jr. is up from his nap.”
“You wouldn’t mind helping?” Julie asked, relief in her voice. “I’ve never worked with skins like that,” she admitted.
“I’d be happy to help,” Emma assured her. “It’ll give us a good chance to get to know each other.”
And if the topic of conversation just happened to turn toward Buck now and then, so much the better.
Fandom: The Young Riders
Characters: Buck Cross, Teaspoon, Polly, Kid, Lou, Jeremiah, Theresa
Prompt: 085 -- She
Word Count: 863
Rating: PG-13
Summary: The Pony Express has ended, and the Civil War has torn the Express family apart. A few of them decide to strike out across the country to Oregon and a fresh start.
Author's Note: This is section 44 of a continuing story dealing with the journey from Rock Creek, Nebraska, to the West Coast via the Oregon Trail.
Julie stood at the back door, arms wrapped protectively around her shoulders, staring out toward the tent city. Sam and Buck had ridden that way some time ago, and it wasn’t as though she could still see them. And yet, for some reason, she kept looking.
Buck had surprised her that morning with his proposal - that she stay there, in Fort Laramie with Emma, while he helped Sam track down the outlaws. All of his reasons were good, that they could use the break from travel, and that Sam could use the help in bringing a ruthless gang to justice.
She’d agreed, of course, the words coming out of her mouth almost as though someone else was speaking them. Inside, a voice in her head was screaming no, that she didn’t want him to leave.
But it wasn’t as though she had any claim on him. And trying to hold him too tight might just lead to losing him totally.
“Are you all right?”
Julie jumped at the sound of the voice, and turned quickly. “I’m fine,” she replied, just as quickly, though her voice trembled a bit.
Emma didn’t look quite convinced, but she didn’t push the point. “It’ll be nice having another woman around for a few days,” she said. “I haven’t met many of the women here yet.”
“Thank you for letting me stay,” Julie said softly. “I’ll try not to be a bother.”
“Don’t you worry about that,” Emma replied.
Julie felt her hands shaking and she turned back to the window, trying to hide her fear. Emma had already been so kind, and it wasn’t fair to burden her.
“Julie?”
“He is coming back, isn’t he?” Julie asked, almost whispering. There, the words were out, despite her best efforts not to say them.
“Buck? Well of course he is.”
Despite the certainty in Emma’s voice, Julie found herself anything but reassured. In fact, if anything, she was shaking even more. Just then she felt Emma’s hands on her shoulders, and her resolve crumbled. She turned and found herself wrapped in the older woman’s comforting embrace.
“Julie, what is it?”
“He could . . .” She stopped, sniffling. “He could just leave.”
“He gave you his word, didn’t he?”
Julie nodded.
“He’s a man of his word.”
Julie wiped at her eyes and nodded again. “I know,” she said softly. “Oh, I don’t know why I’m so scared! I know he is going to leave at some point. That’s our agreement.”
Emma steered the younger woman to a chair at the table and then paused to pour two mugs of coffee. She set them on the table and sat down. “What makes you so afraid if you know he’s going to leave?” she asked carefully.
“I don’t . . .” Julie stammered, unable - unwilling - to bare her soul and answer totally honestly. “I know I can trust Buck,” she finally said. “I don’t know who else I can trust. Once he leaves . . .”
“Is that the only reason?” Emma prodded gently.
Julie looked down and lifted her coffee mug.
“You haven’t fallen in love with him, have you?”
“No!” The denial came out a little too fast. “I mean . . . yes . . . oh, I don’t know!”
“Julie . . .”
“I can’t let myself think about that, Emma.”
“Why not?”
“It was a promise, that the marriage was in name only. I’ve already taken him away from his friends for too long. I won’t have him think I’m trying to trap him.”
“A lot of things have changed,” Emma suggested.
Julie shook her head, sad eyes focused on her coffee. “A promise,” was her only reply.
Emma hid a sigh by taking a long sip of her own coffee. Buck and Julie had obviously developed feelings for each other, despite the terms of their agreement. The fact that neither would admit it, nor make a move to try and change things, was frustrating. And it really wasn’t her business to try and change that.
She could hear Sam’s voice very clearly, telling her not to interfere.
Of course, that didn’t mean that she couldn’t prod a little, hopefully in the right direction.
“Well, what would you like to do today?” Emma asked, her tone light, as if the previous conversation hadn’t happened.
Julie looked up, wiping at her eyes. “Buck traded for some skins and furs,” she suggested. “He said if we’ll be traveling into the fall, I should have something warmer to wear.” And he had used the term ‘we’ she realized - a realization that made her feel a little better.
Emma nodded immediately. “I brought all my sewing supplies,” she said. “And if we need anything else we can walk over to the general store when Sam Jr. is up from his nap.”
“You wouldn’t mind helping?” Julie asked, relief in her voice. “I’ve never worked with skins like that,” she admitted.
“I’d be happy to help,” Emma assured her. “It’ll give us a good chance to get to know each other.”
And if the topic of conversation just happened to turn toward Buck now and then, so much the better.