"Oh come on, Lou! Its been more than a week already!" They heard Kid complain. "You said I didn't have to wait any longer than four days and that was seven days ago."
"You never missed it before you knew what it felt like, so not getting' any for seven days instead of the four I promised you shouldn't really make a difference. You'll just have to stick it out a little while longer." Lou's voice sounded anything but sympathetic.
Some shuffling was heard inside the bunk house and the boys all threw each other a meaningful look. Cody barely managed to keep himself composed when Noah made some suggestive gestures with his hands.
Jimmy furiously indicated all of them to pipe down and moved closer to the door.
"That ain't fair and you know it."
Some more movement could be heard outside the bunk house.
"You've been asking the same thing for days now, each time expectin' a different answer when you know there ain't none."
"I wouldn't be askin' you for it so often unless I really miss havin' it." Kid's tone of voice changed dramatically. "I know you miss it too, you told me so the other day in the barn."
"What do you want me to say? Things just are the way they are."
Cody grinned and pointed at the window. Buck used sign language to ask Ike if he could maneuver himself towards it; the mute rider shook his head no, pointed at Rachel's house and signed the word 'mirror'.
All the boys seemed equally impressed with Ike's ingenuity as they watched him make his way towards the house.
"Come one, Lou." Kid's said in a silky voice. "There's gotta be a little somethin' you can give me. Even a little is good enough to make me feel better."
Noah's eyes went wide. He frowned, pointed towards the bunk house and mouthed 'Kid?' while raising one eyebrow. Jimmy shrugged and shook his head laughingly.
"A little what, exactly?" Lou's voice sounded razor sharp.
"I don't know, you're the expert in these things."
Jimmy's shoulders started shaking from laughter as he desperately tried to smother any sound that might escape from his lips by pressing his gloved hand against it.
For a moment, there was nothing but silence and Jimmy's laughter died down instantly, almost dying to know what transpired inside. Buck, Noah and Cody all strained to hear if they could make anything out, looking from one to the other in case someone heard something they did not.
"Fine. But just so you know, I was hopin' I could save this for a special occasion."
"Just say the word and I'll return the favor in twofold."
Some more shuffling was heard from inside. "Come here." Lou ordered.
Just then, Ike came running from Rachel's house, carrying what seemed to look like a hand mirror. All the boys waved frantically, urging him to hurry the hell up. As he approached the porch, Cody snatched the hand mirror right from his hands and held it up the window, turned at an angle so they could see what happened inside.
All the boys, as quietly as they could huddled around Cody and the mirror, eager to steal a glance. What they saw made each and every single one of immediately avert their eyes in embarrassment.
They could see Lou's back blocking the Kid from the waste down. But the tell-tale look of sheer bliss on their Virginian friend had them all shocked to the core. Surely Lou wouldn't... in their own bunk house nonetheless... engaged in something that most of them had only heard of being told by drunks that visited whore houses!
When someone cleared their throat behind them all the boys immediately scrambled to their feet, causing Cody to lose this balance and dropping the hand mirror as he tried not to fall flat on his behind. An angry looking Rachel and Teaspoon, standing shoulder to shoulder with their arms crossed over the chests stared at them, all too aware what the lot had been up to.
"Care to explain yourselves?" Teaspoon tapped his index finger impatiently against his arm.
None had the courage to speak up. Not for spying, but more for what they had seen.
"One of you better start talkin' or else there'll be hell to pay." Rachel squinted one eye as she scanned the group.
Finally, after a long silence, Cody stepped forward and awkwardly scratched the back of his neck.
"Kid and Lou were havin', ehm, and interestin' conversation and we... well, we figured it'd be funny if we stole a glance. You know, teas 'em a bit with it later."
"No, Mr. Cody," Teaspoon brawled. "I'm lucky I can say I don't know. Now I suggest you boys get yer tails outta here before I do somethin' to ya that'll make you forget there is even such a word as fun!"
"Teaspoon, it was all innoc-" Jimmy also stepped forward and held up his hands but was immediately cut off.
"GO!" Teaspoon boomed.
All five boys made sure they got as far away from the bunk house and Teaspoon as soon as possible.
At lunch time, when everyone was seated at the table, all eyes were on Kid and Lou who sat there as if nothing happened.
"What's the matter with all of you? You all look like someone died." Lou passed along the biscuits.
"Don't you pay them any mind, the boys and me had a little score to settle this mornin' and they just ain't too happy with me right now." Teaspoon glanced around the table with a menacing look on his face.
"Oh? What'd you do?" Lou looked at Cody, seated opposite her.
"Don't matter. We won't be doin' it again, that's for sure."
All the boys nodded and Teaspoon looked somewhat satisfied, but it seemed Cody wasn't about to let it go that easily.
"So, what have you two been up to this mornin'? Seein' as everyone at this table got themselves into trouble except the two of you." he nodded towards Kid.
"Cody!" the threatening warning in Teaspoons voice was unmistakable.
"I'm just sayin' Teaspoon, how come we get punished somethin' awful when they just sit here like nothin' happened?!"
"What is he talkin' about, Teaspoon?" Kid pointed his fork at Cody.
"Billy here, don't know what he's talkin' 'bout. I was hopin', obviously against better judgment, that he would keep his big trap shut about what you did this mornin' and save himself and the rest of them from embarrassment."
Kid and Lou looked more confused then ever.
"Go ahead, son," Teaspoon grinned as he pointed at Cody. "Now ya gotta finish what you started."
Cody clenched his jaws tightly together and glared daggers at the old station( )master. "Fine. We heard you and Lou talkin' in the bunk house this mornin'."
"Tell them about the mirror."
Cody groaned and rolled his eyes. "Ike got a mirror so's we could see what you two were doin' in there."
"You what?"! Lou banged her hand on the table. "You all were spyin' on us?!"
All the boys hung their heads in shame. Lou angrily threw her napkin on the table and bolted out the bunk house but Kid for once remained where he was seated, anger clearly apparent on his face. Rachel got up from her chair and excused herself from the table.
"I trust you boys have more to discuss so I'll leave you to it. I don't think any of ya need remindin' to keep it clean; anyone of you throws a punch and I'll have you cool off behind bars, ya hear?" Teaspoon wagged a finger at each of them and lingered at the Kid. "That goes for all of you." he warned.
As soon as Teaspoon left the bunk house Kid bolted up from his chair. "I can't believe this!"
Noah got up from his chair and leaned his hands on the table while shaking his head remorsefully. "I'm sorry, Kid. We shouldn't have done it, it started out as a joke but we didn't mean any harm by it."
"You, Noah?" Kid raked a hand through his hair and glanced around. "And you? Buck, Ike, Jimmy? All of you?!"
"Kid, we said we're sorry." Jimmy shrugged.
"Sorry that you got busted or for spyin' on me and Lou?"
Jimmy snorted. "Don't go actin' holier than holy, Kid. What we did was wrong, but we saw what we saw and there ain't no excuse for that neither!"
Kid's cheeks turned bright pink. "You weren't supposed to see that, but I'll have you know I do it for Lou."
"Really now," Cody's voice dripped with sarcasm. "You were almost beggin' for it but you were doin' it for Lou?!"
"Look, not that it's any of your concern, but Lou doesn't like the way my hands feel. You know, when we...well, you know. So she gave me this cream she uses herself, so my hands would feel softer for when... when I... when she and I...," Kid nervously rubbed a hand over his mouth. "I ain't gonna spell it out for you!"
"What does that have anything to do with what happened this mornin'?" Noah lowered himself back onto the chair.
"That's what she and I were talkin' about and she rubbed my hands with the last bit she had. Ain't that what you all saw?" Kid cheeks turned and even brighter shade of red.
"Cream." Jimmy snorted and shook his head. "She was rubbin' cream on your hands."
"Oh boy." Cody breathed and slumped back into his chair.
Buck and Ike exchanged looks between each other before casting down their eyes.
"Kid, of all the things we thought we saw, rubbin' cream on your hands sure ain't one of 'em" Jimmy raised his eyebrows.
"Right now, I don't care what you think you saw," Kid seethed. "You know the truth now and I swear, if any of you so much as breathe a word to Lou about this it'll be the last thing you ever get to say."
All five riders nodded solemnly, Cody even placed his hand over his heart to show he meant it.
"Just one question, Kid, "Jimmy wagged his eyebrows. "How's that cream workin' for you?"
Kid visibly reddened but met Jimmy's eyes dead on. "Let's just say she ain't got anythin' to complain about anymore," and walked out the bunk house.