Dead-tired after nearly 11 hours in the saddle, the Kid perked up a bit when the familiar outline of the village of Rock Creek appeared on the horizon. As much as he loved his job as a rider for the Pony Express, it was always nice to see the lights of home.
The thought made him smile. Though stationmaster Teaspoon Hunter's team had relocated from Sweetwater only a few weeks ago, Kid found he was quickly settling in and putting down roots. He knew it had less to do with the new base than with his steadily rewarming relationship with a certain petite rider with big, brown eyes and a feisty attitude.
Following a few weeks of estrangement after her refusal of his marriage proposal – the most miserable period of his life – Kid and Louise "Lou" McCloud had started slowly and carefully finding their way back to each other. It was requiring compromise on both sides; Kid would never feel all right about Lou putting herself in danger, but he grudgingly accepted her right to make that decision for herself. And Miss McCloud seemed to understand that what she'd called "crowding her" was the only way Kid knew to protect what was most precious to him in the world. Both of them had suffered enough losses in their short lives. Kid was determined to spend the rest of his doing everything he could to make sure the rest of Lou's was happy and safe.
Things weren't back to where they had been … before. But surely it wasn't a coincidence that Lou's smiling face was always the first he saw when he rode in after a long ride, any more than it was accidental that he prowled the front porch of the bunkhouse when she was due in from one of hers.
The sun was low on the horizon behind Kid, creating long shadows that seemed to chase Katy's hooves toward her familiar paddock. The young rider would be late for supper – beef stew, if he reckoned right – but he knew Rachel would be keeping a plate warm. The evening was clear and mild, a soft breeze blowing across the prairie all the way from the Rockies, for all he knew. There would be a full moon tonight, and as he pulled Katy back to a slow trot at the edge of town, Kid was making plans to coax Lou into a quiet stroll a little later down by the river that gave the place its name.
He straightened in the saddle and smiled broadly when he heard a familiar voice call from the shadows of the bunkhouse porch. "Rider comin'!" It had become habit to make such announcements, even when there was no rider waiting to take up the mochila for the next stage of a run. More than anything, it was a grateful acknowledgement that one of their own had come through another ride safe and sound – something never taken for granted. Theirs was hard and dangerous work.
"Hey!" Lou called more softly now, stepping down off the porch to reach for Katy's bridle. Her broad smile glowed in the gloaming, and Kid swung his leg over Katy's side with more haste than grace in his eagerness to be near her. She peered up into his face and lightly brushed a cloud of dust off the front of his homespun shirt. "Hard ride?"
"Just a mite tirin'," he replied, grinning back at her. "But I'm feelin' better already." He was aware of a low murmur of voices and laughter from inside the brightly lit bunkhouse. "Supper already done?" He started toward the washtub next to the well, and she fell in step beside him.
"Nope, the rest of the boys are still chowin' down," Lou remarked. "I wasn't that hungry, and figured I might as well wait for you."
"Thanks. I'll enjoy the company." Kid bent and dunked his face in the cold water, then wiped it dry with the towel hanging over the pump handle. As the two riders turned back toward the bunkhouse, it was all Kid could do to keep from sliding his arm around Lou's slender waist. She drew him like a magnet. He craved the closeness they used to share, in every sense of the word, but he was determined not to move too far, too fast this time. The Kid was a man who learned from his mistakes.
In the bunkhouse, Kid was vexed to see that the only two empty places were at opposite ends of the table. He had a notion to bump Cody further down the bench to make room for Lou next to him, but knew that would only invite teasing from the rest of the riders, who seemed endlessly entertained by the fits and starts of his relationship with Lou. Instead, Kid tucked into the steaming plate Rachel set before him – beef stew, just as he expected – and redoubled his determination to spend time alone with Lou after supper.
Rachel poured a ladleful of stew into Kid's empty bowl, then moved down the table, offering the dregs at the bottom of the kettle to those who were ready for a second helping. As she passed behind Lou, she paused and reached into the pocket of her apron. "This came on the stage for you today," she said, handing Lou an envelope. Most personal mail came through the U.S. postal service via the biweekly stagecoach; it was a slower, but much less expensive alternative to their own Express service. Kid saw Lou brighten as she glanced at the postmark.
"It's from St. Joe!" she shared.
Kid smiled around a bite of his biscuit while watching the excited young woman out of the corner of his eye. Her small fingers eagerly ripped open the envelope. Kid knew Louise didn't get to see her sister and brother as often as she'd like, and she treasured the packets of drawings, examples of school work and general updates the sisters at the St. Joseph orphanage occasionally forwarded. Theresa had recently learned to write her name, and the wall behind Lou's bunk was now a gallery of tacked-up primitive sketches of dogs, cats and horses signed by the six-year-old artist herself.
Across the table, Cody had launched into one of his tall tales centered, as usual, on himself. Kid quickly found himself drawn into the blond braggart's wild story of being pursued by a love-sick moose halfway from Split Rock to Devil's Gate, when a gasp from further down the table swiveled Kid's attention immediately back to Lou. She was staring wide-eyed at a sheaf of paper held in her trembling hands. Her face had gone dead white, and her mouth was working silently, as if she were trying to say something she couldn't get out.
"Lou!" Kid exclaimed. "What's the-"
Before he could finish, the girl had leapt to her feet, crumpling the letter in her small fist as she darted for the bunkhouse door. In a second, Kid was hard on her heels. By the time he got to the porch she was halfway to the stables and even with his long strides he was hard-pressed to catch up to her.
"Hey! Hey, Lou!" he called as he sprinted after her. She made no sign of hearing him until she reached the door of the stable, when she suddenly stopped and spun around. Loping toward her at full speed, Kid nearly ran into the petite figure who was glowering at him as he skidded to a stop.
"Whatcha want, Kid?"
He saw she was trembling, though with fear or fury he couldn't tell. Instinctively he wrapped a palm around each of her shoulders, but she shrugged him off and turned again to open the stable door. "I ain't got time to deal with you now," she muttered, disappearing into the darkness inside.
Kid followed after her. "I just want to know what's got ya so upset." He trailed her like a shadow as she paced rapidly back and forth in the narrow space.
"Ain't nothin' for you to concern yourself with," she retorted, giving the nearest wall a sharp kick from her left boot.
Frustrated, Kid grabbed her forearm and turned her to face him. "You can call it crowdin' you if you want, Lou, but I'm not leaving this barn 'til you tell me what's going on." Seeing vulnerability behind her defiant glare, his expression softened. "You're scarin' me, Lou. Please, just tell me what's got you in such a state."
She emitted a shuddering sigh, and Kid thought for a second that she was going to throw herself into his arms. Instead, she turned away and leaned her forehead against the rough stable wall. "They're givin' 'em away," she said softly. There was a quaver in her voice.
Every instinct told Kid to gather her in his arms, hold her tight and protect her from whatever was causing this deep hurt. But he knew how important it was to her not to appear weak or give out that she might need anybody else. So instead he merely asked, "Who's giving who away? What are you talking about, Lou?"
She turned around and his heart clenched as he saw an expression of complete despair on her delicate features. "Theresa and Jeremiah," she said. "The sisters are gonna send them off with strangers to live. I ain't never gonna see my little 'uns again!"