JUST AS WELL THEY DIDN'T RIDE COWS

Richard is delivering library books for Shelley. I guess that with his past delivery truck experience this will be a doddle for him which is good since he forgot to re-register as a teacher.

"Hope for the best but plan for the worst."

That's an old Irish saying appropriated by Lee Child for his Jack Reacher character, it's not the Pony Express motto which is: 

"Neither rain, nor snow, nor death of night, can keep us from our duty.", or, "The mail must get through".

The express riders used to swear an oath before being accepted:

"I, ... , do hereby swear, before the Great and Living God, that during my engagement, and while I am an employee of Russell, Majors, and Waddell, I will, under no circumstances, use profane language, that I will drink no intoxicating liquors, that I will not quarrel or fight with any other employee of the firm, and that in every respect I will conduct myself honestly, be faithful to my duties, and so direct all my acts as to win the confidence of my employers, so help me God."

          — Oath sworn by Pony Express Riders

In Richard's case this would need to be edited and condensed a little:

"I, ... , do hereby swear, before the Great and Living God, that during my engagement, and while I am an employee of Russell, Majors, and Waddell, I will, under no circumstances, use profane language, that I will drink no intoxicating liquors, that I will not quarrel or fight with any other employee of the firm, and that in every respect I will conduct myself honestly, be faithful to my duties, and so direct all my acts as to win the confidence of my employers, so help me God."

We end up with this:

"I do swear but, during my engagement, and while I am an employee of Russell, Majors, and Waddell  I will conduct myself honestly, be faithful to my duties, and so direct all my acts as to win the confidence of my employers."

or, in other words -:

"Gizza job. I can do that."