Chapter 1
It was very hot, it was July, and Buck, a Kiowa half-breed boy who worked for the Pony Express, decided to make a stop for his horse at the river. He was a tall boy with a strong physique, with two deep dark eyes and wore long black hair and an Indian earring. As soon as he got off his horse, he looked around and not seeing anyone, he thought he could afford a nice refreshing bath. He took off his clothes, hung the medicine bag he always carried with him on the branch of a tree, and plunged completely naked into the cool waters of the river.
He began to swim and moved a little away from the point where he had left his clothes and horse, but not so much that he didn't always have an eye on them.
He loved to immerse himself completely under the water but he never thought of running into what happened to him: while he was swimming under water, he realized that he was not alone, he saw legs that were moving and that they belonged to someone who had the same idea as him. .
He immediately re-emerged avoiding making too much noise and his surprise was great when he realized that he had in front of him, but turned away, a girl with blond hair gathered on the nape of her neck. He was very embarrassed but did not know what to do: if he moved she would have heard him and maybe she would have taken him for an attacker, but if he had spoken to her, he would have scared her. He opted for the second solution, not wanting to risk getting into trouble.
He decided to address her calmly and scare her as little as possible.
"I'm afraid we had the same idea because of the summer heat," he told her.
The girl spun around and seeing him began to scream.
Buck tried to calm her down from a distance by saying: "I don't want to hurt you, I didn't see you and I decided to take a bath, most likely thinking like you that there was no one there. Please stop screaming "
She, despite being terrified and embarrassed, instinctively covered her breasts which fortunately was still underwater and tried to trust that calm and sweet voice.
As soon as she stopped screaming, Buck spoke to her again: "Don't be afraid, it's definitely a very embarrassing situation, let's get out of it as soon as possible. My name is Buck Cross and I work for the Pony Express. I was returning from my run and I thought I'd cool off a bit while my horse drank. I looked around and saw no one, so I went into the water. My clothes are not far from here, if you turn around I'll go get them and get dressed instantly ".
The girl nodded without speaking. He turned and felt that he was walking in the water towards the shore. That very handsome and embarrassed boy had struck her and intrigued her, despite the absurd situation, and she could not resist: without being seen, she turned a little and saw his naked statuesque body emerging from the water. She felt a shiver and turned immediately blushing.
When Buck had at least put on his pants, he said to her, "Now you can turn around. If you want, I'll throw you a blanket and I'll go get your clothes back, if you tell me where you got them "
This time the girl spoke and said to him: "I'm on the bank at the back, I went away a bit, thinking I was alone. Thank you"
Buck took a blanket that he always carried with him during his runs and handed it to the girl who told him in a peremptory tone: "Turn around!".
Buck looked at her with a raised eyebrow and replied, "Sure, right away. I'm going to get your clothes while you dry ".
"Thanks," she replied.
When Buck returned, he hung the girl's clothes from a tree branch and tied his horse. The two turned respectively and got dressed.
Buck said to her, "So, you know my name and my job but I don't know anything about you."
"Yes, sorry, it's just that I'm really embarrassed. My name is ... uh, D.J. and I'm italian. I recently arrived in Sweetwater and I am a journalist. I was hired by the local newspaper "
"D.J., what a strange name"
"They are the initials of my names and the signature I use for my articles"
"Journalist huh ?. You won't be one of those people who wants to write the story of the savage Billy Hichock! "
"Billy Hichock? And who is it?"
"You really don't know?" Buck asked with a sarcastic smile and raised his eyebrow again.
"No, I told you, I'm not from here, I'm Italian. Is he a famous person? "
"Well, I wouldn't say that, but if you don't know him and don't want to write his story, I certainly won't be the one to tell you. What do you do then? "
"Local news for now, I've just started. I live in the house that used to be the Jacksons, they told me "
"We are not so far then, it is close to the Pony Express station where I live with the other couriers"
"Well, so I know where to take my letters"
"Who helps you fix the house? It is in pretty bad shape. Are you here with someone, your family, your husband? ".
"No, I'm alone and I take care of the accommodation, I still don't have enough money to afford the workers."
"How are you going to fix it all by yourself, you can't do it"
"I'll think about it at the right moment, now I have to take care of the interior because there is a lot to do there too"
" Good luck"
"Thank you"
Buck looked at her curiously but then realized that it was getting late and he had to go.
"I have to go, I'm late with my run. See you in the city then, have a nice day "
"Thank you too. See you soon"
He smiled at her, mounted his horse and left.
D.J. was very impressed by that boy and hoped to see him again soon.
She went home and set about arranging the rooms as best she could.
The next day she went to town to make arrangements with her boss for the next article. When she got out of the paper, she went to Mr. Thompkins's shop to get some fabrics to make the curtains and across the street she saw Buck with some boys. She waved to him to greet him but he turned his face and continued talking to a boy with long blond hair. D.J. was very upset, but thought that maybe he hadn't recognized her, on the other hand the day before she was wearing a pair of pants and she was in a mess, now she was dressed like a lady and had fixed her long hair with curls . She thought there would be other opportunities to meet him.
As she was walking back to the gig, she noticed that a banner had been hung over the saloon announcing a dance for the following Saturday. D.J. thought that this would be an opportunity to see Buck and get to know him better.
She returned home and devoted herself to writing her article and arranging the house. The interior was now almost all in order, from the following week she would have to think about how to do the heaviest work.
On Saturday night, she got ready for the prom. In reality she wasn't sure she was going, she didn't know anyone but her boss and had had a few words with Mr. Thompkins as well as Buck, but she couldn't say that she really knew anyone. She was afraid of being uncomfortable. But then she thought that that would be the only way to approach Buck again and in any case to make acquaintances, so she took courage, took the gig and went to town. She wore a green dress with sleeves that ended in white lace and a neckline that was not too generous but left room for a beautiful emerald necklace that had belonged to her grandmother and that she always carried with her. She had gathered her hair in a half ponytail from which the blond curls fell.
She decided to arrive a little later than the prom start time, so that she had a better chance that Buck was already there.
Once there, she timidly entered the salon and began to look around. She was immediately joined by the owner of the newspaper, Mr. Stevenson, who wanted to introduce her to some of the citizens with whom she would have to deal and among them was the sheriff, Teaspoon Hunter, and head of the Pony Express station.
"Sheriff," said Mr. Stevenson, "let me introduce you to my new addition, Miss D.J., who is in charge of the local news and I have other jobs in mind for her too"
"Good evening miss", greeted the sheriff, "I hope you will be happy in Sweetwater. Her particular name "
"Good evening sheriff, it's not my full name, it's the pseudonym I use to sign my articles, I'm actually of Italian origin. I hope to settle in soon and get to know the citizens "
"Oh, Italian," said the sheriff, "what drove you to the Wild West, if I may?"
"I wanted to have new experiences and get out of the box and this seemed to me the best way"
"Welcome then. Enjoy the dance "
"Thanks, see you soon Sheriff."
D.J. took her leave and resumed looking around for Buck. It took her a while to locate him, because he was leaning against a wall almost hidden, as if he didn't want to be noticed. He wore a white shirt under a black jacket and had his hair tied in a ponytail. She found him very beautiful. She walked towards him, but was stopped by an elegant young man who asked her to dance. She politely refused saying that maybe she would do it later and continued her intent.
When she approached him, he did not notice her, perhaps because he did not expect it and she took advantage of the surprise effect to greet him: "Good evening sir".
Buck turned around in amazement and replied: "Good evening miss. Oh, but it's you! ".
Buck had responded on impulse without really knowing who he was greeting, but then he recognized the bright green eyes and face of the river girl.
"Well, tonight you greet me, then you recognize me with my clothes too," she teased.
"What do you mean?", He asked, who had almost forgotten the episode a few days earlier.
"The other day you pretended not to see me and I thought you didn't recognize me dressed", she teased him again.
Buck blushed a little and replied: "Sorry, you're right. The fact is that I was in the company of a very exuberant friend and I would not have known how to explain our meeting without triggering uncomfortable jokes "
"Well, we are not obliged to explain that we found ourselves naked in the river", she said almost in a whisper, approaching a little.
Buck blushed again.
"Why don't you dance?" She asked him.
"Let's say that girls don't really like being seen in the company of a half-breed"
"Half-blood?" Asked D.J.
"Yes, my mother was Kiowa, didn't you notice?"
"Actually no, honestly I don't give much importance to a person's race, but to his value and his sympathy"
He smiled and raised his eyebrow, then asked her in turn: "And you? Why don't you dance? "
"Oh, I just got here, I'll do it," she said hoping he would invite her, but he didn't. D.J. was disappointed and realized it was time to retreat for now.
"Well, I don't bother you any more, have fun," she told him, hoping he would stop her, but she was still disappointed. Buck greeted her and let her go.
As soon as she was gone, a woman, Rachel, who lived at the station and who took care of the boys and Teaspoon, approached the boy.
"Who was that girl, Buck, seemed to know you from the way she talked to you," she asked.
"Oh, an Italian journalist who has just moved and I met the other day at the river".
"Why didn't you invite her to dance?" Rachel asked.
"I know people like her, do you remember what happened with Jimmy? I don't want to have that kind of people around ".
"Are you the one who gives hasty judgments? I never expected Buck. Are you sure she's not just a girl trying to make friends in a foreign country? She doesn't necessarily have an ulterior motive, give her the benefit of the doubt, "Rachel pointed out.
"Oh, I don't know, I don't want problems."
"I'm going to test the waters," Rachel told him.
"No never mind". He still hadn't finished the sentence that Rachel had already headed for the girl and Buck knew that when she got something in her head, nothing could stop her.
D.J. meanwhile, disappointed by Buck's behavior and feeling uncomfortable, she had decided to leave and go home. She had been stopped again by a young man who had asked her to dance, but she didn't really want to and had declined the invitation. She was about to go to pick up her things and greet Mr. Stevenson, when she heard a female voice: "Hello, are you new here?".
D.J. turned almost abruptly and saw a young woman who was smiling at her.
"Good evening, yes, I'm the new journalist, I arrived from Italy a few days ago".
"Very pleased, I'm Rachel Dunn, I'm taking care of the Pony Express guys and the sheriff. Oh, but were you leaving? "Rachel asked.
"Well, yes, I don't know anyone and I'm a little uncomfortable. Anyway my name is D.J., nice to meet you Rachel "
"Pleased to meet you D.J. I saw you were talking to one of my boys earlier, Buck. You know him, why are you leaving? "
"Well, I don't know him very well, we just met by chance the other day and I went to say hello, but he doesn't seem very eager to make new friends", let out D.J., immediately regretting it.
"Oh, don't mind, Buck is very reserved and always wary of people he doesn't know, but he's a good guy. Let's do this, I'll go call my boys and I'll introduce them to you, so they'll have some fun, okay? ".
"I don't want to bother, Rachel, it's not necessary, thanks"
"No bother, don't worry. I know what it's like to move to a place where you don't know anyone and if I can help you feel more at ease, I do it willingly ".
"Thank you, you are very kind," said D.J.
"Wait here, I'll be right back". D.J. nodded.
Rachel disappeared behind a group of people and while D.J. didn't see her, she went up to Buck and said, "You're a fool, she's a very pretty girl. Go to her and invite her to dance. In the meantime, I'm going to call the others, I promised her that I would introduce them to her to convince her to stay. She was leaving, she was very disappointed with your behavior ".
"Did she tell you?" Buck asked.
"No, I understood it from her look when I asked her about you. Come on". Then she went to look for the other boys.
Buck looked for the girl and walked over to her.
"Still not dancing?".
D.J. almost gasped, she hadn't seen him coming, she was looking for Rachel.
"I'm waiting for my white-armored knight," she joked, surprised that Buck had looked for her.
"I don't have white armor, but if you are satisfied with a Pony Express rider, I'd like to invite you to dance"
"I'll try to satisfy myself," she replied with a smile and her eyes sparkling with joy.
The two began to dance, a little embarrassed, then she decided to break the ice and asked him: "You told me you're a Kiowa, why do you work for the Pony Express?".
"Are you looking for material for an article?" He stiffened.
"No, what are you saying? I just wanted to chat a bit, but if it bothers you, don't answer me, sorry ", she said sorry.
"Sorry you, it's just that I don't really like talking about me. I left the Kiowa camp and my brother because I was discriminated against by the tribe since my father was white. I studied on a mission and as soon as I could I found myself a job. They were looking for orphans for the Pony Express and I introduced myself. That's all. And you? What are you doing in America all alone? "
"I no longer tolerated the civil and morality rules of my family and of the society in which I lived. I couldn't accept that I was born just to do the wife, mother and housework. I mean, not that I don't want to build a family in the future, but by my choice, not by imposition. I want to be free to have my experiences, to make mistakes, to learn and marry the man I love, not one imposed by my family. I'm tired of respecting rules and conventions and so here I am ".
"Still, quite a temper. How is the repair of the house going? ", He was interested, amazed by the young woman's words.
"The interior is finished. Now I have to start with the external works, but I'll think about it tomorrow, now I want to have fun ".
The two smiled at each other and continued dancing. When the song was over, they were joined by Rachel and some of the boys.
"There you are, you were kidnapped by Buck then," Rachel said with a sly smile.
"Oh, yeah, he invited me to dance," said D.J. embarassed.
"And our Buck is good," said the blond young man who was with him the other day, giving him a shoulder.
Buck glared at him.
"Guys, this is D.J., the new journalist. She comes from Italy and she doesn't know anyone, so I thought I'd introduce her to you ", Rachel intervened.
"Very pleased, I'm William F. Cody," the blond boy said, kissing her hand.
All the boys came in turn: Kid, Lou, Noah, who was a black boy, Ike who waved goodbye and Buck explained that he was mute and expressed himself with Indian signs, Jessie, a very young boy, and Jimmy. When the latter presented himself, D.J. exclaimed: "Ah, the famous Hichock!".
Jimmy looked at her curiously and Buck intervened: "She's one of the few people who didn't have the faintest idea who you were."
D.J. intervened to apologize: "Sorry Jimmy, Buck the other day, when we met and he learned that I was a journalist, he thought I came to write an article about you but I had never heard of you, forgive me. I'm Italian and there is no talk of you ".
"Better that way", Jimmy interjected, "for once maybe someone will know me for who I am and not for what they write about me. So you met before the dance, right? ".
"Um yes, we crossed the river the other day", Buck immediately intervened to try to stay as vague as possible, "while I was watering my horse".
"Well, you know a beautiful girl and you don't tell us anything?" Cody joked.
Buck blushed a little and also D.J. was very embarrassed but decided to intervene: "I was doing a patrol tour and we met by chance".
Then she tried to change the subject. She turned to Lou and asked, "You are Lou, right? Why does a girl work for the Pony Express? "She asked innocently.
"How do you know I'm a girl?" Lou replied annoyed.
"Well, obviously, sorry, I didn't think it was a secret. So you pretend to be a boy? Sorry, I didn't want to be indelicate. I made some unforgivable gaffes, I apologize to everyone ".
Lou reassured her: "Don't worry, if it's so obvious it's my fault that I don't hide it well, certainly not yours that you guessed it. But I ask you to keep the secret, Teaspoon knows but I don't want to lose my job ".
"Of course, I'm not going to talk about it."
"Thank you".
The two girls smiled at each other.
The music resumed and Buck apologized and brought D.J. to dance before someone else invited her. He felt strange feelings towards her, he liked her a lot, but he didn't know if he could trust her or not, he was still afraid that she could be one of the usual social climbers who pawed to get success and make her way. Something inside him told him she was honest, but he couldn't completely trust her. He decided that time would help him understand, meanwhile he just wanted to enjoy the evening with that beautiful girl.
D.J. now was happy, she had met some very nice and nice people and above all she was spending a lot of time with Buck. She hoped her stay in Sweetwater would prove interesting.
The boys took turns taking turns to dance with her and the girl was happy to get to know them a little better, but as soon as she could she went back to dance or chat with Buck.
At the end of the evening they said goodbye and while D.J. was about to take her leave and go to her gig, Buck told her that he would take her home, he didn't want to make her come back alone so late.
D.J. was happy and did not protest. During the journey she told Buck a little about her life in Italy and confided to him that she finally felt free to live her life, without always having to respect certain rules imposed on girls from good families: "I know that many here will judge me badly because I came alone from Italy and I live alone, but I don't care, I want to be able to make my choices independently, I don't necessarily have to please everyone ".
Buck was very impressed with her way of thinking and her words and was increasingly curious about this strange girl.
Arriving at D, J's house, Buck took a look around and said: "Wow, you'll have a lot to do with all the work this house needs."
"Oh yes, but I'm not in a hurry, I'm going to stay a long time and I have plenty of time. The important thing is that it is in place inside, I will arrange the rest calmly ".
"I like this way of thinking," he commented and smiled.
"Well, thank you for accompanying me and keeping me company. I hope there will be an opportunity to see each other again ", she dismissed him, although she would have liked to prolong his company indefinitely.
"Sweetwater is not that big, we will definitely meet again"
"And I hope this time you'll say hello to me," she smiled mischievously.
"Okay, I deserve it, I'm sorry again, but you've seen how Cody is! By the way, maybe it would be better to keep ourselves to ourselves as we met "
"Don't worry, I'm not going to embarrass you in front of your friends. Goodnight Buck and thanks again "
"Good night".
The boy paused for a moment until she entered the house, as if he too wanted to stop time. Then he turned, took his horse and rode to the station, where he inevitably found the boys who were waiting for him and who wanted to know the details of the return with D.J.
"There is nothing to know", Buck replied, "I took her back, she told me a little about her life in Italy, I said goodbye and I came back here, end of story. Goodnight "and went to his cot, cutting off any further comment. It took him a while to fall asleep, he really didn't know what to do.