Disclaimer for Scandals books:

Thank you for taking interest in reading my newest Scandals book. The series is composed of fourteen interlocking stories. DO NOT read this story unless you have read the previous parts. Otherwise it will not make sense, because there is a lot going on in every part. The rating is for language, sexual references, mild violence, and adult themes. Some of these stories are based on things that actually happened in history, others are not. Please, enjoy the story, and look for the next part in the series!

On the way back to the ranch the next morning, neither Lou nor Kid spoke at all. Both were still distressed from what had happened the previous night. After Lou had let the whole world know she was carrying Kid's child, they spent the rest of the night on the ridge. Not because they wanted a romance, but because they were so terrified of telling the rest of the riders about the news. Kid slept on the blanket out in the open, Lou slept up against the tree, but had not really gotten any sleep at all. When morning came, both silently picked themselves up, mounted their horses, and began slowly towards the ranch.

'How did this happen?' Kid thought to himself. Honestly, he know how it happened, he wasn't that thick skulled. It just blew his mind that all of this, and all the trouble to come, would be his fault. He was the one who pushed Lou over the edge to love him, to be physical with him, and now look what he got.

'I just wanna cry,' Lou constantly deliberated in her head, as she knew she should be tough and stay strong, but it was also unhealthy to hold emotions in.

'When I get back, should I tell everyone, or keep it a secret?' Lou contemplated the whole way home. 'Okay, so let's say I tell them. The boys will probably ask too many questions, Kid will probably get real mad, Emma will cry, and Teaspoon will lecture me. On the other hand, suppose I don't tell anyone? No one will suspect anything at first, but in a few months, I'll start to show and be real temperamental. And then, pretty soon, I'll have to stop riding, and then I'll have to tell everyone. Then the news will spread like wildfire, and everyone in Sweetwater will call me a slut.' As she completed her thought, the ranch appeared just over the hill, with a sunrise shortly following it.

When the two reached the barn, they carefully slid off their horses. Kid tried to be helpful and assist Lou in dismounting her horse, but feeling stupid, she pushed his hand away. They slowly walked across the only half-lit yard to the house. They let themselves in, only to find the riders eating breakfast. Without saying a word, Kid and Lou sat down, and plopped some gravy on the plates in front of them. Teaspoon swallowed and opened his mouth to speak.

"So where were you two at for the last 12 hours?" He looked at both of them, but all he got were two shrugs. "Oh, so I'm supposed to guess?" He was quickly beside himself with anger. "Well, I'm too old to play guessing games. But, can I at least ask you this: Why were you out so late?" Again, he looked at both of them.

"I guess we just lost track of time." Lou replied.

"Oh so you, just lost track of time?" Teaspoon said, mocking Lou. "Pretty hard when the sun is setting, isn't it?"

"Well we would have been back sooner if Lou didn't have to tell me she was-" Kid stopped himself, realizing what kind of mistake he could have made. Unfortunately, Teaspoon's hearing was still sharp, and had heard Kid's partial remark.

"What was that, Kid?"

"Oh, it wasn't anything important."

"If it wasn't important, then why'd you say it?"

"Never mind, just forget I ever said it." Teaspoon really wanted to know what Kid had said, and he made this clear by fiddling with his pistol.

"I'd really like to know what you said, Kid."

"Okay, fine," Kid let out a deep breath, as Lou was shaking her head in disapproval. She wasn't planning on telling them. "I was taking Lou on an outing, sir. And I was planning to, well sort of "bond" with her. And when we were getting ready to "bond," Lou told me that she was…" He paused. "Pregnant." This statement took everyone back. The riders looked at each other in disbelief, surprised this would ever happen.

In all the commotion, Teaspoon had stood up, walked over to a small bookshelf in the corner of the room, and picked up an old, black, leathery Bible. He thumbed through the pages, and stopped at the Book of Hebrews.

"Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous." He looked not at Kid, but at Lou.

"Now, Teaspoon," Kid began to defend her, "I think this is hardly Lou's fau-"

"Oh, so we need another example?" He skimmed a few more pages. "Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body.." He shut the Bible. "Need I say more?"

"But Teaspoon, Lou didn't-" Teaspoon opened up the Book one more time.

"For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God." Teaspoon slammed it down on the table in front of them, scaring some of the riders. Emma stepped forward.

"Lou, is it true?" Her voice was shaky. "Are- are you pregnant?"

"Yes," Lou said as she hung her head in shame. The riders looked at one another again, not knowing what to say. Then, without warning, Teaspoon pointed to the door.

"Out."

"Teaspoon, please don't it's not her-"

"I've had about enough of you, Kid. And boy, lemme tell you, you're walking on thin, thin ice." Lou looked at Teaspoon with big, sad eyes. "Don't you understand?"

"Teaspoon," Emma walked over to him, "let's just calm down and try a different approach."

"Oh no, Emma. I though Lou here was a Christian. But now I realize that coming to church with up was just a formality. I know who you really are. You're just an atheist, free thinking, whore." Lou was close to tears now.

"Teaspoon!" Emma yelled at him.

"You heard me, you stupid bitch. Get outta here! Ain't no non-believer living here, not in this house." Lou gave up trying to defend herself. She noticed that Kid had started to raise his fists, but she slowly pushed them back down to his sides. She walked over to her bed, wrapped her things in a blanket, and headed outside. When she was all the way out the door, Kid looked Teaspoon straight in the eye.

"You sick bastard. I don't care if it's morally wrong and sinful or not, someone as old as you should know you never treat a lady like that." Kid followed in Lou's steps as he made his way out the door. He met up with her in the middle of the yard, where he hugged her tightly.

"We'll be okay, Lou." He whispered in her ear. They heard the door swing open again, and this time it was Teaspoon, running across the yard with the paddle in his hand, waving it wildly. When he reached them, he gave Kid a good swat on the butt to break up their hug.

"I told you to leave, so you'd best be going. There ain't no room 'round here for people like you." He turned and stopped back towards the house. Lou understood and quickly mounted her horse. As look was riding out of sight of the ranch, Kid began to feel sick. He had no idea if he would ever see her again…

TO BE CONTINUED…