Chapter 17

Through the fog in her mind, Louise remembered that she was supposed to be meeting someone named Rachel. Who cares about this Rachel woman when I have Kid? Grudgingly, she broke the kiss.

"As much as I'd like to continue this, don't you think we better go see Rachel? I'd hate to wake her if she already went to sleep," she said.

"Rachel who?" he responded, attempting to start again where they left off.

She giggled and gave him a playful punch. "You know, for someone who could barely look me in the eye without blushing, you sure have taken to kissing me."

"I'm a quick learner," he said with a wink. "But you're right. Rachel's always talkin' about her beauty sleep, and heaven help anyone who disturbs it."

After checking to see that the yard was still clear, they crept towards the house. Kid knocked softly on the door, hoping to rouse Rachel but no one else.

Rachel opened the door, momentarily gaping at the sight of Kid holding the hand of an unfamiliar woman. They reacted to her scrutiny by dropping one another's hand and putting space between them. I wonder if this is the woman that's got him so fired up. I guess there's one way to find out.

"Good evening, Kid. Why don't you both come in, so you can explain why you showed up on my doorstep in the middle of the night?" she said calmly, internally laughing at the couple's obvious anxiety. She led them to the parlor and gestured toward the sofa, sensing their need to remain close as well as their embarrassment about wanting to do so.

"We need your help," Kid blurted out.

"I'd be happy to help you, Kid, but don't you think I should know who I'm helping first?" she replied with a smile. Yes, this is definitely the girl that's got him all tied up in knots.

"Sorry, Rachel. This is Louise."

"Pleasure to meet you, Louise. Now what can I do for you both?"

"It's kind of a long story," he answered.

"I've got time, and I like stories," said Rachel.

When Kid finally finished the story of meeting Louise and her need for a job, both looked at Rachel eagerly, silently praying that she would help them. Rachel's heart went out to the young couple. Even though neither said anything of a possible relationship, the tender expressions passing between them spoke for themselves. As protective as she was of "her boys," she knew she could trust Louise. She recognized her as a kindred spirit, both of them strong and independent women who had been crushed by life at times, but had refused to give up. Judging from the admiring gazes she gave to Kid, Rachel also recognized a fellow romantic. She had a feeling that Louise didn't have much experience, if any, with good men and hoped that Kid could be the one to show her that she deserved to be loved and treated with respect. Realizing they were still awaiting her response, she thought, I guess I better quit daydreaming and help them out.

"Louise, I understand your need to prove yourself, and I admire you for it. It ain't gonna be easy disguising such a lovely young woman as a man, but you're obviously determined, and if anybody could pull this off, then it's you," said Rachel, giving Louise her support with a kind smile before turning her attention to Kid. "And Kid, I'm real proud of you for helping Louise. I know I don't have to tell you this, but you keep an eye out for her, okay? She can take care of herself, but I'll feel better knowing you're watching out for her."

"Okay, I'm finished with my sermon. Now we need to come up with a plan for getting her the job. Have y'all thought of anything yet?"

Kid and Louise both shook their heads, inwardly kicking themselves for neglecting such an important detail. Must have slipped my mind when we were kissing, Kid thought.

Rachel laughed. "Well, you're lucky I don't have my head in the clouds like you two do." She paused as she decided on the best course of action. "Louise, why don't you stay here tonight with me? We need to work on your transformation into 'Lou,' and I don't want you back at the saloon either. Besides, it's been entirely too long since I've had some girl talk. You can head back to town early before everyone wakes up and get your things. Kid, I'll send you on an errand in town first thing in the morning, and you can bring Lou back with you. You can say he approached you about the job, and you offered to take him to the station. I know if you vouch for him, Teaspoon will be sure to hire Lou. Now how's that for a plan?"

"Thank you for everything, Rachel. I can already tell we're gonna get along just fine," replied Louise.

Kid added, "Thanks, Rachel. I knew you'd help us out. You're the best."

"You're both very welcome. Now I'll let you say goodnight while I go see whether some of my husband's old clothes might work for Louise, I mean, Lou. And don't enjoy your goodnights so much that you lose track of time – we have a big day ahead of us," said Rachel, leaving the two blushing and snickering to themselves.

Kid held open the door and escorted Louise to the porch. "Well, I guess we didn't do a very good job of disguising our feelings from Rachel. Good thing the boys aren't the most observant, or they'd wonder why I was staring so much at the new guy."

"Do you really think I'll be able to do this? Fool the guys and do my job too?" she asked hesitantly. The idea seemed possible in the glow of the moment alone with Kid, but now reality began to sink in, and she wondered if she was crazy.

"You'll do just fine. In fact, you'll probably be the fastest rider we've got, since you're the lightest. Don't worry about it. Heck, I'll be worrying enough for the both of us every time you ride off," he joked, although he knew the worry would be real.

"Thank you," she whispered, pulling him into an embrace.

"For what?"

"For the job, for believing in me, for treating me like a lady, for everything," she replied. She looked up into his eyes and decided it was her turn to initiate the kiss. He eagerly responded, feeling like the luckiest man on earth. This time, neither moved, neither pulled away, both content to share this kiss until the end of time.

Rachel, however, had no intentions of allowing the kissing couple to become a permanent fixture on her front porch. Opening the door a crack, she said, "That's enough goodnightin' for one night. Kid, get some sleep. I'll take care of your girl."

They two jumped apart in surprise. After whispering a quick good night, Kid turned toward the bunkhouse, his wide smile beaming in the moonlight.