Lou emerges from the bunkhouse, her bedroll under her arm. As she walks across the porch toward where Noah is holding Lightening for her, Ike reaches out and touches her arm. She stops and looks at him.

<Ride safe, Lou,> Ike signs to her with a big smile.

"I will, Ike. You keep all the boys out of trouble round here, okay," Lou returns.

<That's asking a lot, but I'll try,> Ike grins.

Lou runs over and mounts Lightening. Kid rides in and passes the mochilla off to Lou, who rides out in the opposite direction. Kid slows Katy to a stop and dismounts.

"How was your ride?" Buck asks, walking up to take the reigns from him.

"Dusty," Kid answers, and to illustrate his point slaps his cloths causing billows of dust to rise.

"You better not bring that dust inta the bunkhouse er Rachel'll kill ya," Cody warns as he leans on the post that supports the porch roof.

"Yeah, she just finished cleaning it and woe be it unto the one who first gets it dirty. She ain't even let us back in yet," Noah adds.

Ike looks around at his friends and smiles at their affectionate bantering. It has been a long time since he has felt as welcome and wanted as he does with his express family. Most people would think it impossible that such a group of motley orphans could form into a family, but that is exactly what has happened. Ike knows that the bond they have is just as strong if not stronger than any bond of blood.

Kid finally manages to get enough dirt off that he can climb the steps without causing a dust storm.

"Hey, Ike," Kid says coming up to where Ike is sitting with his book. "There was a letter for you at the last station. I brought it with me."

Ike's eyebrows knit together in an expression a puzzlement. <For me?> he questions as he takes the letter from Kid.

"Well it says 'Ike McSwain' on it and yer the only Ike McSwain I know."

Ike glances at the envelope. There is his name on front in neat writing, and up in the left hand corner the letters L. F. B.

"Who's it from, Ike?" Cody asks.

Ike just shrugs his shoulders in response. Buck comes and stands next to him, just as confused as Ike.

Ike looks into his best friend's eyes and, though no words are spoken, he knows they are both thinking the same thing. The only people Ike knows are all sitting right here on the porch except for Teaspoon who is in town, Rachel in the house, and Lou who just left on her run.

"Well, don't just stare at it, Ike, open it," Jimmy says impatiently.

Carefully, Ike tears open the envelope and removes a sheet of paper covered in the same neat writing. Ike unfolds the letter and begins to read.

The other riders watch Ike closely. After having lived so much of his life without the ability to speak, Ike has developed wonderful facial expressions. Usually the riders only have to look at Ike to know exactly what he is trying to tell them. Now they watch his face for any clue as to what the letter is about, but what they see alarms them.

Ike's usual smile is replaced by a tight frown. He face is deadly pale and his hands are shaking. In his eyes are tears that threaten to spill out.

"What is it, Ike?" Buck asks, his voice full of concern for his best friend. The other riders move closer, wanting to know what has upset their friend so badly.

The look Ike gives them when he is done reading the letter is like none that they have ever received from him. It's the look of a person who has just had their whole world ripped out from under them; the look of a man drowning at sea.

"Ike what's wrong!?!" Jimmy asks again. Ike's reaction is beginning to scare them.

Suddenly, without answering, Ike shoves the letter back into the envelope and sort of runs, sort of stumbles off the porch. He rushes over to one of the horses that are saddled and tied to the coral, waiting for the next rider who needs to change mounts, and grabs the reigns. Desperately, he swings himself up into the saddle and kicks the horse into a gallop away from the station.

"IKE! WAIT! WHERE ARE YOU GOING? WHAT'S WRONG?" Buck yells at his back as he rides off. Buck tries to follow him, but Kid places a restraining hand on his shoulder.

"Maybe ya better let him be alone fer awhile. Whatever was in that letter upset him pretty bad."

"That's just it! Ike doesn't know any one to get a letter from, unless one of the nuns at the mission suddenly decided to keep in touch, but I doubt it. They were just glad to get rid of us."

"Leave him alone. He'll tell ya when he's ready," Noah says coming up beside Kid and Buck.

Buck looks around at the faces of the riders with him and isn't fooled a bit by their words.