Epilogue

August 18, 1861

Rock Creek, Nebraska Territory

Life around the station resumed as if they hadn't been missing any riders. Three days after returning, Lou felt well enough to make her first run, a short one to Big Sandy and back, which took part of an afternoon. Seeing his chance, Kid wandered into town to talk to Teaspoon about claiming the next special run for him and Lou.

"Afternoon, Teaspoon," Kid said, entering the marshal's office in the middle of town.

"Hey, Kid," the man greeted him. "Did Lou get off alright?"

"Yeah, she just left."

"What brings you in here today?" Teaspoon said, sitting at his desk and looking up expectantly at the southerner.

"I was wondering if you had any special runs coming up?" Kid asked nervously.

"Why? Are you volunteering?"

"Maybe. I wanted to go with Lou," he said, suddenly finding the floor fascinating.

"Can I ask why?" Teaspoon said, leaning forward and propping his elbows on the messy surface.

"I wanted to take her out, you know, like a real couple, since we can't do that here without them finding out she's a girl," Kid said protectively.

Teaspoon eyed up his rider curiously, wondering if he was going to propose again and wanted to do it safely away from the bunkhouse. "Well, there's nothing right now, but if something comes up, I think I could manage to send you two out," he said with a lopsided smile. He was certainly happy that his two riders seemed to be working out after all the trouble they had in the beginning. Teaspoon watched as a grin spread over the young man's face as he hurried out of the office. Probably anxious to get back before she does, he thought, returning his attention to the wanted posters that had just come in on the morning stage.

Two days later, on Sunday morning while the riders were all gathered at the table for breakfast, Teaspoon announced, "Looks like I got a special run for two of you to Fort Calhoun. Some Army documents need to be delivered there by Wednesday."

"I hope it's not me Teaspoon," Cody whined, "I've had enough of your special runs for a while. Last time I lost Lou and she ended up with the Sioux."

"Don't worry, it's not your turn," Teaspoon bellowed.

"If I recall, Teaspoon," Noah asked, "Buck and I should be up next."

"Actually, I think Kid and Lou should take this one. She needs to get out on a longer run and sending Kid with her should ensure she doesn't end up with another Indian tribe, or worse," the marshal boomed, eliciting laughter from the remaining riders, except Cody.

"I'm never gonna live that down, am I, Teaspoon," the blonde rider asked, shaking his head in embarrassment.

"Probably not for a while, son," Teaspoon sat, patting the young man on the back. Turning to the two riders, he said, "Kid, Lou go get packed up, Fort Calhoun should take you three days to get there." Handing them a leather folio, he added, "This needs to be delivered to the officer in command, Tommy Erbach. He and I go way back, so tell him I sent you and he'll make sure… well, just tell him I sent you."

From their seats next to each other at the table, Kid and Lou shared a secret look. Lou was thankful she was being sent off with Kid instead of Cody, or anyone else for that matter. And Kid, his mind was racing with all the things he needed to pack before they left. He wanted to make sure their time together was special and he was determined to show Lou how nice it could be if they went out together in public as a couple. Finishing their breakfast, Kid rose from the table eager to get his suit packed without her seeing.

Lou disappeared behind her curtain, grabbing her saddlebags and tossing her nightgown and scented soap inside. Even if she had to look like a man while on the trail, she could at least feel like a woman at night. Maybe she could convince Kid to find a hotel one of the nights they would be gone so they could sleep in a real bed together again, preferably one that they actually fit in and was larger than her bunk. Thinking of their time away from the bunkhouse, Lou quickly packed the rest of what she would need for the trip, stopping to ask Rachel for the extra biscuits to take along with her. Luckily, in the few days since she had returned from her stay with the Lakota, she had managed to keep her nausea at bay, and had almost stopped getting sick. There was that incident the other night at dinner, when Rachel had accidentally served stew made with bison meat in place of the beef prompting Lou to make a hasty exit from the bunkhouse to deposit her stomach contents behind the barn. Aside from that, she was feeling better, although she still craved extra hours of sleep and had a habit of dozing off each afternoon before supper. Gathering her bedroll, saddlebags, and canteen, Lou playfully swatted Kid before hastily exiting the bunkhouse. She headed to the barn to saddle Lightning, figuring Kid would meet her outside as soon as he was ready.

Since Teaspoon had an idea what the young man was planning, he announced, "Alright, the rest of you boys got chores that need doin', so as soon as you're done eating, you best be off to get them started." His announcement was met with the usual round of groans, but the boys knew that once they finished their chores for the day, Teaspoon usually let them have the rest of the day to themselves. Eager for some free time, Buck, Jimmy, Noah, and Cody, with Jesse in tow, all left the bunkhouse, spreading out to get started on their respective tasks.

With the bunkhouse now clear except for Kid and Rachel, Teaspoon ambled over to where Kid stood pulling his suit out of his trunk and carefully rolling it in his bedroll. "You take care of her out there, Kid," the station master warned.

"I will, Teaspoon," Kid promised. She was the most important person in his life, he wasn't going to take any chances with her safety or well-being.

"And if you don't come back right away, we'll be fine here without you two," he added with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. "If I recall, both you and Lou got some time off coming up later this week. Might want to use it wisely." Patting the southerner on the back, Teaspoon wandered out to the porch, surveying this end of town and the riders all busy with their Sunday chores. Kid, his saddlebags and bedroll slung over his shoulder, quickly brushed past the older man, hurrying to get to the barn to get Katy saddled up.

Lou, having already saddled and mounted Lightning, was walking the horse out of the barn in time to see Kid rushing in. She led her stallion over to the bunkhouse where Teaspoon and Rachel stood waiting to send them off. Moments later, Kid came striding out atop a saddled Katy, having readied her in record time. Pulling up next to the black stallion, he looked over to Lou asking, "Ready to go?"

Lou turned her bright smile to him, saying, "What took you so long?" Waving goodbye to Rachel and Teaspoon, she gently guided her horse to the open prairie before kicking her heels into his sides and fairly flying off into the dusty morning. Not wanting to spend the morning trying to catch up to her, Kid was soon chasing after her, their mounts both disappearing behind a cloud of dust.

Back on the bunkhouse porch, Rachel asked, "You know, Noah and Buck were up next for this ride?"

"I know, but Kid asked me for this run so's he could take Louise out," Teaspoon said with a grin.

"You think he's gonna propose again?" Rachel asked, watching the knowing grin plastered on the station master's face.

"Oh, I think we'll be having a wedding to celebrate around here in no time," he said confidently.

Turning from his side, Rachel returned to the now empty bunkhouse, mumbling, "that's not the only thing we'll be celebrating around here," not even trying to hide the smile she felt forming on her face. Lou's secret was safe with her, but she knew Kid would be overjoyed once she shared her news with him. She just hoped the southerner really did propose this time, for Rachel was certain that Lou would accept him with open arms.

Four days later, on the trail outside Fort Calhoun…

After spending the night in the Fort, Kid and Lou rose early in the morning, eager to be on their way home. They had been riding for most of the morning when Kid pulled up on Katy's reins, slowing their pace. Taking a drink from his canteen, he looked over at Lou as she rode by his side.

"So Kid, what're you thinking of doing with your time off once we get to Rock Creek," she asked, peeking over at him.

He smiled sheepishly at her before saying, "Actually, I was thinking of doing something with it before I get back, before we get back."

"Like what?" she asked, looking over at him, her face a mixture of curiosity and apprehension.

Seeing her look of interest, he continued, "Well, we're coming up on a little town. It's supposed to be real quiet. It's supposed to have a restaurant where you can get a real fine meal. The kind of place where men can take off their hat."

"I don't know about you, Kid, but seeing how I'm supposed to be a man, I'm better off with the kind of place where I can leave mine on," Lou protested.

"Well, that's just it, Lou. You wouldn't have to pretend. You could dress up like a lady. We could have a real night on the town," he pleaded.

"I didn't bring anything to wear," she protested again, growing slightly annoyed that he didn't tell her ahead of time so she could bring something suitable to wear. Still, he was surprising her by going through all this trouble, she thought.

"You don't have to wear anything," he said, initially not realizing the underlying meaning of his hastily spoken words. Her blush of embarrassment, told him she understood his meaning loud and clear. "I mean, I don't care what you wear, I just wanna spend time with you," he said, trying to recover from his inadvertently suggestive comment.

"How do you know so much about this town?" she asked, eyeing him suspiciously.

Kid shrugged his shoulders, giving a noncommittal grunt. "I asked around. C'mon, Lou, this is something I've been wanting to do for a long time" he confessed, thinking back to his conversations the previous afternoon with some of the soldiers around the fort.

"Alright. What's the name of this town anyway?" Lou asked, her heart filling with happiness at the idea of spending the evening with Kid like a normal couple.

"Davenport."