Kid waited what seemed to be a reasonable enough time after Lou had stormed out of the bunkhouse, before he made his own exit. He was sick at the thought of Teaspoon leaving them too, but was trying not to show it. The stationmaster had taught them all so much in the short time they had known him.
Teaspoon was everything he thought a man should be. He was tough, but fair. He adhered to a strict code of ethics and expected anyone working for him to do the same. He had taught them all to hold their heads high and be proud of who they were. That it wasn't so much of how you were raised that mattered, but who you became in spite of it.
Kid knew there was so much more they had to learn from Teaspoon, but how could they stand in his way of being with his daughter. Teaspoon deserved to be happy, and he wanted to be happy for his employer. Really, he did, but that didn't mean it wasn't tearing him up at the thought of Teaspoon leaving them.
The first place he looked for Lou was in the barn. He had no idea where the female rider would have gone when she stormed out of the bunkhouse, but it was as good a place to start as anywhere else.
He entered the barn and slowly walked down the aisle of stalls, smiling as his paint mare Katie nickered a welcome to him as he neared her stall.
"My sweet girl." Kid murmured affectionately to Katie as he stopped in front of her stall. Katie stretched her neck over the stall door so she could head butt Kid in the shoulder.
Kid placed a hand on either side of her muzzle and kissed her. Lou's horse, Lightning, stirred restlessly in stall next to Katie's and Kid obligingly stepped away from Katie's to give the black gelding and affectionate pat as well.
It was only then that he heard the slight sound of weeping coming from the vacant stall on the other side of Lightning' heart turned over at hearing the sound of Lou's obvious distress over the possibility of Teaspoon leaving them for good.
Kid opened the door to the stall and stepped inside. Lou lay curled up on her in the hay, her head resting on her folded arms. Kid closed the stall door behind him and moved to settle himself on the hay near where Lou lay.
"Lou?"
Lou slowly lifted her head off her arms and gazed up at him with swollen eyes and tear streaked face. "I want to be happy for Teaspoon Kid, really I do, but all I can think about is him leaving and us never seeing him again."
"I know Lou," Kid whispered, "I know."
He reached for her and without further prompting, Lou let herself be pulled into the fold of his arms. Both felt the need to be comforted by the other, as each contemplated what life would be like if Teaspoon left them.