Age: 17 (Jan. 17, 1842)

Description: She has short red hair, blue eyes, 5', tomboy, she’s independent, can hold her own in a fight, loves horses, and can take care of herself.

Twin: Lynnette Helen Ethridge (Lynn)

Father: James Eugene Ethridge (deceased)

Grandfather: J. D. Ethridge (Denver)

Grandmother: Ellen Ethridge (Denver)

Mother: Helen Arline Ehtridge (deceased)

Grandfather: Frank Howard (Whereabouts unknown)

Grandmother: Amanda Howard (Whereabouts unknown)

Summary: After both parents death Lee and Lynn decided to visit their grandparents in Denver. However, their grandparents denied their existence. While in Denver they saw a sign for Pony Express Riders and since Lee was the smallest and fastest rider of the two girls they decided that Lee would become one. Now since Lee had a job, the school enrolled Lynn as a nursing student. Lee was stationed at the Dreamville Station in Nebraska.

Love Interest: Jimmy

Stacie
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Age: 17 (Jan. 17, 1842)

Description: She has long red hair, blue eyes, 5' 4", very much a lady, however she is not afraid of getting dirty. She loves being around people, and is afraid of horses.

Twin: LeAnn Arline Ethridge (Lee)

Father: James Eugene Ethridge (deceased)

Grandfather: J. D. Ethridge (Denver)

Grandmother: Ellen Ethridge (Denver)

Mother: Helen Arline Ehtridge (deceased)

Grandfather: Frank Howard (Whereabouts unknown)

Grandmother: Amanda Howard (Whereabouts unknown)

Summary: For now Lynn’s one goal is to get good grades in school so that she can get a job and pay for her sister (Lee) to go to school. She really misses having Lee around and wants to visit her soon. She has no love interest at this time, but can't wait to meet all the riders Lee has wrote to her about, especially Ike.

Love Interest: None at the moment!

Lynn
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INTRODUCING LEANN!

When LeAnn was 10, their mother died of Yellow Fever and tragedy struck again when a band of hostile Indians killed her father when she was 15. The sisters found out they had grandparents in Denver. They sold the farm and bought a ticket on the stage to Denver, however when they got there, their grandparents refused to acknowledge their existence insisting that they their son died 20 years before.

While in Denver the girls decided to try to go to school to become a doctor and a vet. Little did they know that they needed money for this and they had none. They saw a sign for Pony Express Riders and since Lee was the smallest and fastest rider of the two girls they decided that Lee would try to get a job with the Express. So she cut off her long beautiful tresses and signed up for the express. Since Lee had a job, the school enrolled Lynn as a nursing student (She couldn't be a dr. because she was a woman.)

Lee was stationed at the Dreamville Station. Lee sent her money to the school to pay for the tuition for Lynn. She has been a rider under the disguise of a boy since the Express was started. Lee and Lou each saw through the other's disguise and became best friends and confidants.

One stormy day right before Thanksgiving while writing her sister a letter, Cody happened to see the heading "My Dearest Lynnette," Cody thought he would have some fun teasing his friend about "his" girlfriend and ignored Lee's pleas to stop reading the letter and give it back. However "his"/her pleas feel upon deaf ears. Jimmy did tell Cody to give it back but again, Cody ignored him. They all listened as Cody read the letter out loud. It just told of how life with the Pony Express was and ended with "With All My Love, Your Sister, LeAnn"

The room fell into a astonished silence as Lee ran out into the rain. She was not only embarrassed but also sure that she had just lost her job. Back in the bunkhouse, the others were discussing weather or not to tell Teaspoon. Cody wanted to tell, but Lou and Jimmy stuck up for her pointing out that Lee had already proved herself to be as good a Rider as any of them.

Finally they all agreed not to tell Teaspoon about Lee being a "she". Lou was going to go after Lee, but Jimmy was the first out of the door to go find her. He found her in the barn with her horse Black Beauty (Black for short). She was in Black's stall trying to hold the tears back, but failing. When she heard the footsteps, she turned to face her horse and her back was facing the door. She didn't want any of the boys to see her cry, least of all Jimmy.

She loved it here, but she knew that now that everyone knew she was a girl, then she would be out of a job soon.

"You know it's a lot more comfortable inside the bunkhouse."

Silence.

"Come on back inside." Jimmy tried again.

"Why? So ya'll can redicule me? No thank you. I'll sleep out here with Black tonight then I'll get my stuff and I'll leave tomorrow morning."

"Why are you leaving?"

"I'd rather quit than be fired."

"Who says you're going to be fired?"

"Even if nobody else tells, Cody'll tell Teaspoon and he'll fire me."

"Nobody's going to say anything, especially Cody. We all talked it over and convinced Cody that it would not be in his best interest to tell anyone anything."

"He's going to let it slip you know that? He can't keep a secret worth a damn."

"He'll keep this secret if he knows what's good for him."

*Is that love I hear in his voice or am I imagining it? As she turned to face her crush, he saw her tear stained face. Their eyes locked onto each other for what seemed like forever.

Lee could have sworn that she saw something different in his eyes, something more than friendship, but decided it was just wishful thinking.

The Saturday afternoon after Thanksgiving, during a shoot out, she met Catherine, the hotel owner. Lee saw the looks that Catherine was giving Jimmy and didn't like it. However, the woman did save Jimmy's life for that she was grateful, but she also knew that she had a rival for Jimmy's affections in the hotel owner. Lee felt insecure in her abilities to ever get Jimmy to love her the way that she thought she loved him. After all, she had to dress like a man to put her sister through school. Maybe after Lynnette got her nursing degree she could pursue a relationship with Jimmy. When Corey was transferred to the Dreamville station, Lou and Lee realized immediately that they were not the only girls that disguised themselves as boys to survive. Lee convinced Lou to pretend like they were "interested" in her. They let Corey squirm for a few minutes before breaking out in laughter and telling her that they too were girls and they wouldn't say anything to anybody.

As Christmas was approaching, there were reports of two brothers that were notorious bank robber and murders. They were the Williams Brothers and anybody who saw them with the banks' money never lived to tell about it. When the rumor reached head office of Russel, Majors and Wydell, they decided that 2 riders would go on every run until the men were caught.

On a run 2 days before Christmas, Jimmy and Lee made camp on the trail miles from any town. Jimmy went to see if could get some small game to eat while Lee made camp. The Williams Brothers saw Lee with her guard down and she definitely looked like a girl.

They were there to hide the money that they just had "acquired" when they saw her. They decided to have a little "fun" with her. When Lee saw them, she screamed. Jimmy was off in the woods and heard the scream and tried to make it back to camp. When he got there, he saw one man holding Lee down on the ground and another standing over her, trying to get her pants off of her.

Jimmy cocked his navy colt and said in a very stern authoritative voice, "Leave her alone."

"Leave us alone, boy go find your own whore!" The one standing above her said. At that moment, Jimmy pulled the trigger and the bullet went through the man's head while he pulled the trigger again and the second bullet found its mark in the other low life's heart.

Needless to say they were both dead. "Are you alright?" Lee unable to talk just nodded. "Did they hurt you?" She shook her head no.

"You showed up just in time. Jimmy?" He met her eyes. Again there was that attraction or was it? "Thank you."

"You're welcome." he turned away to go back into the woods

"Jimmy?" He turned around to face her again. "Don't go anywhere, please?"

"I'm not going anywhere." And he started digging through their saddlebags to find something for them to eat.

That night after waking up screaming twice, Jimmy held Lee while she slept. The nightmares went away. He was also able to get some sleep, amazed at how "right" this felt.

When Lee woke the next morning, she found herself in Jimmy's arms. She was embarrassed at how she could have let that happen last night. She knew better than to let her guard down, but somehow when she was with Jimmy her brain stopped working. And he had seen how she couldn't always take care of herself.

Jimmy woke when she tried to get up. "Good morning" he said with a smile.

"Good morning" she said distractedly. "Um, Jimmy?"

"Yeah?"

"You won't tell the others about what almost happened last night will you?"

"No of course not, not unless you want me too."

"I'd rather you didn't. I don't want anybody to know."

"Ok."

"Thank you." she said. As she rolled over to face him, their lips brushed up against one another. Neither one knows who did what after that, but somehow, the light brush turned in to a passionate kiss reserved for lovers.

It was then that Lee realized that her feelings for Jimmy was love and that he returned her feelings. However she wanted to keep their newfound love a secret for now—especially since Teaspoon thought that Lee was a boy.

A week after they had returned, Lee started an inner battle. She knew she wanted to give herself to Jimmy, but at the same time she wanted to wait until her wedding night to give herself to her husband. She had always been taught that sex was reserved for husband and wife only and she should wait until her wedding night before she gave herself to a man.

But would Jimmy be her husband one-day? She wanted that man to be Jimmy, not anyone else. She needed some one to talk to, so she went to Rachel. When she went to talk to Rachel, Lou was there already talking to Rachel about something. Both of her friends sat and listened to the distraught Lee.

INTRODUCING LYNNETTE!