Chapter Three

The next few weeks passed peacefully enough as Lou got settled into her new job. Sweetwater was unusually quiet, with the exception of the usual disturbances at the saloon. Her days were often quite boring, and she missed the hustle and bustle of the way station.

One thing she was thankful for. The townspeople still did not know she was a girl. Despite Teaspoon's assurances to the contrary, she knew the town would not abide having a woman deputy.

"Hey, Lou wait up!" Kid's voice broke into her thoughts. Looking up, she saw him crossing the street toward her.

"What are you doing in town?" She asked him.

"Rachel ran out of flour and sent me to get some," Kid didn't mention that he had bribed Cody into letting him come. Now, he owed Cody his dessert for the next week.

"I haven't seen you in a few days," he pulled her into an alley. "I missed you."

"Really?" Lou teased him. "You have Cody, and Jimmy and Buck, why would you miss little ole' me? I'm sure the boys..."

Kid silenced her with a kiss.

"Um, what was I saying?" she asked when they parted.

"I have no idea," Kid grinned, kissing her again. They stood in the alley, locked in a deep kiss, completely oblivious to everything that was going on around them.

"Oh, excuse me," they broke apart, startled by the shrilly voice. Margaret Tollison, the seamstress- and town gossip- stood at the entrance to the alley.

"Oh my," Margaret, completely shocked, began fanning herself.

Lou groaned inwardly. Of all the people in town to catch her and Kid together, Margaret Tollison was the worst. The news would spread all over town faster than a prairie fire in hurricane force winds.

"Oh my, my, oh my," Margaret sank down on a barrel, constantly waving her fan. "My, my, my...I never imagined...it is an abomination to the Lord..."

Kid and Lou's eyes met as each simultaneously understood what she was thinking.

"Miss Tollison," Lou gently laid her hand on Margaret's arm, being careful not to startle her. "Miss Tollison, it's not what you think. My name is Louise, not Lou." Lou took a deep breath. "I'm a girl."

Margaret's eyes grew wide in amazement. "A girl? You mean you aren't? Oh, my, what a relief."

"Miss Tollison, you can't tell anyone," Lou begged, knowing it was practically useless. Margaret was much like Cody- unable to keep a secret, even if she wanted to. Lou often wondered how things would be different if it had been Cody and not Kid that found her on her first run.

"Not tell? Of course I'm going to tell," Margaret stood up determinedly. "It is almost as much an abomination as the other thing. A girl, passing herself off as a man! Why, it's a disgrace to this town."

"Miss Tollison," Kid's voice was low. "She's got the right to make her own way."

"And you encouraged her!" Margaret turned on Kid. "You knew, and yet you allowed her to continue this charade. Well, we'll just see what Marshal Hunter has to say when he learns about this." She grabbed Lou's arm and began to drag her toward Teaspoon's office, Kid following helplessly behind.

"Marshal Hunter!" She stood outside Teaspoon's office, calling for him.

Teaspoon emerged from his office, and seeing the situation, pretty much guessed what was going on.

"Miss Tollison, ma'am, why don't you come on into my office so's we can discuss this issue you seem to have with my deputy privately."

"No Marshal," she spoke fiercely. "Everyone needs to hear what I have to say." She turned to the crowd that had gathered.

"It is an abomination," she cried. "The deputy, who you hired Marshal, and who we trusted to protect us, is a woman!"

A gasp rippled over the crowd at Margaret's announcement.

Lou looked at Teaspoon in panic, Margaret's hand still firmly around her arm. The crowd was near riot stage.

"Now, hold on," Teaspoon's voice thundered over the crowd. "That's better," he said as the mob settled enough to listen to him.

"Do you really think I would hire someone as my deputy if they weren't capable of the job? Lou here has been a valuable rider for the Express, and she can handle this job."

The crowd began shouting at Teaspoon, not at all satisfied with his attempt to pacify them.

"Now, hold on just a minute!" Tompkins stepped up next to the Marshal.

"Oh, great," Lou muttered. "Now I'm really done for." She felt Kid's hand squeeze her shoulder reassuringly, giving her what comfort and support he could.

"All those express riders have provided a great service to this town, and on more than one occasion have assisted the Marshal in keeping the peace, Lou included. And I don't recall any of you ever having a problem with that before. What's changed since then? The fact that you now know that she's a girl? Hell, I knew that day she and Hickok and Cody started that fight in my store, and she hit me in the face with a skillet. I figured if she could hold her own, who was I to stop her, and I say the rest of you should give her that same courtesy."

With that, Tompkins turned and walked back into the crowd, leaving a stunned Lou staring at him. This was definitely not the store owner they had all come to know.

"Give the girl a chance!" someone in the crowd yelled.

"She deserves a chance...give her a chance..." several people began to yell, until the crowd, which only moments before had been ready to riot against Lou, now chanted in her favor.

Margaret let go of Lou's arm and turned away in disgust. Lou knew she now had an enemy in town, but she hoped nothing would come of it.

"See, what did I tell you," Lou and Kid joined Teaspoon in his office as the crowd began to disperse.

"You were right," Lou admitted. "I was worried for nothing."

"Why don't you two hang around here for a while," Teaspoon suggested. "I'm gonna head out to the station and see how things are holding together."

"Here," Kid handed Teaspoon the sack of flour. "Give this to Rachel?"

"I'll see ya'll at dinner," Teaspoon tipped his hat and left.

"Well, how are you liking being Teaspoon's deputy?" Kid asked.

"It's bout near driving me crazy," Lou admitted. "Nothing exciting is happening around here, so I have to sit and listen to Teaspoon talk most of the time."

Kid grinned. "Well, he's not here talkin' now, and there's no prisoners, so what do you say we pick up where we left off in the alley?"

"Kid!" Lou swatted his arm.

"What?" He feigned innocence.

"What if someone walks in?"

"They already know you're a girl, don't think it'll shock them all that much," Kid kissed the tip of her nose. "You worry too much, you know that?"

Lou's answer was drowned out by the sound of an explosion.

"So much for having no excitement," Kid muttered, following her to the door to see what was happening.

Five men were mounting their horses outside the bank. The front windows of the building had been blown out by the robbers, and people were streaming out the door. The men's horses were a little skittish from the explosion, and Lou and Kid took advantage of that to fire at the men from behind cover, while the men returned fire. They managed to drop three of them, and the other two rode out of town. But the one with the money bag was among those left behind.

"Good work Lou," Kid turned to the deputy, who had been behind a wood pile about ten feet from him for cover.

"Lou!" He rushed to where she lay, face first on the ground.

"Lou, no," he said, turning her over. Blood covered his hands as he picked her up easily. "Get the doctor!" He yelled, carrying her to Teaspoon's office.

"Lou, please Lou, wake up," Kid laid her on a cot in one of the cells and began to examine her wounds. She had been hit twice, once in the shoulder, and once in the left side. The shoulder wound wasn't bad, because the bullet had gone all the way through. But the wound in her side was bleeding badly, and Kid figured it probably had cracked one of her ribs. Her face was frighteningly pale, and her breath was coming in shallow, ragged gasps.

"Lou, come on Lou, you're gonna be fine, just wake up, please," tears poured down Kid's face as he begged her to wake up.

"Son, let me examine her," Kid felt the doctor's hand on his shoulder. "Why don't you wait outside until I'm finished?"

"I'm not leaving her," Kid shook his head.

"Kid, you'll do more good to her if you aren't in my way. Now, wait outside and I'll let you know as soon as I am through." He steered Kid toward the door.