Reunion
Chapter 2
(Author's note: For those that are interested, this is part 3 of a 3 story set. Part 1 is Printers Daughter. Part 2 is Letters During the War. Enjoy! Again another short chapter, but I promise they will get longer.)
(Maggie)
Come morning, Rachel was all ready to help making breakfast. I told her that she was on vacation. I had hired help to do the cooking. We could cook if we wanted to, or not. Besides, my help made better bread than I do. I asked her if she wanted to feed baby Noah instead, which she thought was a grand idea. He did too. Someone new to try to charm, the little stinker.
Since Buck was taking most everyone on a tour of the ranch this morning, I figured Rachel and I would have a chance to compare notes on teaching in different locations. I would think that teaching in a mining town, with it's shifting population would be difficult.
Our plans changed when I realized that Lou had come down to breakfast, still in a dress. She announced that she was not joining the group on the ranch tour. She was going to stay with the women. You could have heard a pin drop. Kid just shrugged. Buck gave me a look that begged me to find out what the heck is going on? The others did the same.
After the others left I asked Lou if she wanted to hold Noah for a bit. She did, but I could tell it was hard. I gave the baby back to Rachel and announced that Lou and I were going for a walk. I wasn't taking no for an answer.
We walked silently for a while. Finally I stopped at one of m favorite "quiet spots." Again I didn't say anything. Finally Lou burst out, "Well, are you going to say it?"
"Say what?"
"Are you going to ask me why I lost the baby?" She was belligerent. Almost angry.
"No," I said. "I was going to ask you why you keep wearing dresses here? How can you go riding if you're not at least in a split skirt?"
"I'm not going riding!" she proclaimed. And then she started crying. "That's why I lost the baby!"
I pulled her into a hug. "What?"
"When the baby died they told me it was because I had been acting too manish-all that horseback riding and such."
"Who told you such nonsense! Never mind who. The important thing is that you believed them. Oh honey! Who ever told you that probably never rode astride in her life! Indian women don't stop riding horses and doing work just because they're with child. And the babies are fine. You've seen my three? I rode horseback until it just got too uncomfortable. I had chores to do."
I paused. "Louise Lee, you are one of the strongest women I know. You're a Pony Express rider. You've stared death in the face more than I ever want to. You are not going to let a bunch of ignorant folks with their own opinions change you! We're going to go back to the house and you are going to put on some riding clothes!."
Lou looked embarrassed. "I didn't bring any."
"Luckily we're close to the same size. I'll loan you some until we can make you up some new."
Lou was crying again. This time happy tears. "Thank you for being my friend! For kicking me when I needed it."
"I suspect you'd do the same for me." I thought a minute. "Did you ever talk to Rachel or Emma about this? They must be pretty confused by your behavior."
"No. I just couldn't. I couldn't even talk to Kid about it. I kept thinking he must be ashamed of me."
"So there are several people you need to talk to-but your husband first. I don't know if I ever told you, but I heard that, while Kid likes you in a dress, he likes you almost better in pants. He can see the shape of your legs and behind better."
Lou blushed. "Is that true?" I nodded. By then we had gotten back to the house.
Before too long Lou was dressed more like herself. I loaned her one of my favorite horses and she was off. I figured we wouldn't see her for a while. She needed the healing of being horseback.
Rachel and I did get our afternoon of talking about teaching, in the middle of caring for a house full of children. She loved it. Eventually the men came back and we continued to catch up on each others lives. Lou didn't get back until almost dinner. She grabbed Kid and went to their room to talk. We didn't see them again until the next morning.