Things had changed around the bunkhouse, Buck and Laura were now married and the riders had a new person a round. In the beginning the young couple tried to love and act as any married couple would, but they still didn't know each other. Every day things got more octword between them. Finally she couldn't stand the pressure. Laura wrote Buck a letter and left it on the porch. In the morning he woke up, and found the letter:

Dearest Buck,
I know this letter will hurt you,
but this relationship was hurting us both. We tried to make it work,
we tried to love each other � nothing worked.
I know you'll forgive me.
Truly Yours,
Laura

Buck went about his day, not letting the others know what had happened. Teaspoon didn't seem bothered by her disappearance. No one asked about her, it was like she had never been there. That night Buck took a long walk, by himself. Sitting down in the dark, was Teaspoon.
�Thinking about her, aren't you?� asked Teaspoon
�Yes, thinking about what went wrong. What I did. Why she left.� Said Buck �Well, don't beat yourself up about it. She's just like her dad. Jack never was a man for responsibilities, Laura never was either.�
�I saved her. I risked my life for her��
Teaspoon and Buck talked until morning. Emma was walking towards the bunk house, she met Teaspoon.
�What's wrong with Buck?�
�Nothing a good days rest cant solve.� Said Teaspoon
Days passed and turned into months, things got back to normal. Laura never came back. She never wrote or made any attempts to hear from Buck or Teaspoon. Riders came and went. A new face would appear and disappear.
One night at dinner Teaspoon removed and letter from his pocket. "Boy's, home office is sending over another rider from BlueCreek." said Teaspoon "What another rider?" asked Jimmy
"Yes another rider, Jimmy. And you'll make never nevermind! Beside I think it will help ease some strain around here."
"Well, when can we look forward to meeting them?" asked Lou
"The letter says tomorrow at the stage station at around noon."
Emma made the guys dress in their best. Everyone headed out to the station, and awaited the new arrival. Finally the stage came, at first a woman stepped down.
"Oh not another one," said Cody, before his was elbowed in the ribs by Lou.
Then the woman was embraced by a young man and they walked off. After she left two children stepped, and then a teenage boy followed. Jimmy and Cody walked to him. Cody leaned down and picked up his bags.
"Hey what are you doing?" asked the boy
"Just trying to be friendly here carry your own bag." Cody dropped the bag and as it hit the ground the sound of glass shattering.
"Look what you've done, you idiot! That was for my mother." said the boy "Mother?"asked Jimmy
"Yeah my mother, I bought this doll for her, and you broke it, I paid ten dollars for that."
Teaspoon tapped Jimmy on the shoulder, then pointed to the wagon were an another man was.
"Jimmy, Cody let's go!" said Teaspoon.
The boys rode out, the new guy seemed very quiet and shy. When they got back to the bunk house Emma showed the new guy his bunk, then around the farm. After that she went and fixed dinner. Lou was in the barn, moving a pile of hay. By Emma's request he went and helped Lou.
"Hi, I'm Lou," she extended out her hand.
"Hi, Lou! Lou is that for Louis, or Louise?
Lou took her hand back, and pushed the new guy up against the wall. "What did you say? Who are you?"
Reaching for his hat...
"My name is Alex, short for Alexandra, I'm just like you OK SO LET ME GO!" shouted Alex. Lou was shocked, she released her and stepped back.
"I guess you've got a lot of questions, but none of my answers are different then yours," said Alex.
"OK, I'm interested."
"I'm...I'm here because I'm trying to get away from my family. I'm from North Carolina, and things just got worse and worse there. People were always talking about war, and slavery...and my father was a general there. A crazy man able to hide behind a uniform."
"And me..."
"What about you?" she asked.
"How did you know I was a girl..." demanded Lou.
"Because your too pretty to be a man. What I mean is you have no manly features. No, adam's apple, no stubble, nothing to prove you are man," said Alex.
"OK, point proven. I won't tell you won't tell, agreed?"
"Agreed!"
Emma yelled for dinner, Alex and Lou left the barn with their secret. Over dinner they both were quiet. Both of them were thinking about the new friend they had found. Two girls against the world...