Chapter 20
As she approached the station after her first ride, Lou felt immensely satisfied. Her muscles were sore, and sitting would be uncomfortable for a few days, but she couldn't be happier. Galloping across the trails, she had once again felt the freedom of riding, and now she was being paid for it. Even doing chores around the station wasn't bad. The boys were good company, and the time passed quickly as they joked with one another. Though she knew they had worried about her pulling her own weight at first, she had proved herself, throwing herself into any and every chore she was presented with. She had a feeling that Kid has also said something to them about giving her a break, a fact which both comforted her and slightly annoyed her. To his credit, he had kept his protective comments to a minimum, mostly to keep up appearances, but she knew him well enough to know he was worried that she was working too hard, and it took all his strength to keep his fears to himself. Maybe now that I've survived my first ride, he won't worry so much. Probably not. But maybe if we can sneak in some time in the barn, he will have something to distract him. And I wouldn't mind the distraction either.
She passed the pouch off to Ike as she slowed her horse to a halt. Kid was waiting for her on the porch, a smile plastered on his face.
"Good ride, Lou?" he asked.
"Dusty, but not too bad," she replied.
Buck walked up to her and held out his hand for the reins. "I'll take care of Lightening for ya, Lou."
"Thanks Buck."
Lou joined Kid on the porch, sitting as close to him on the swing as she could without looking strange. They sat rocking for a few moments before he broke the silence.
"So you're really fine? You look tired," he said, trying to keep the worry out of his voice.
She laughed before replying, "And you don't look tired when you come back from your runs? Of course I'm tired, but I think I'll live. Being respectable is hard work, but I'd say it's worth it." She lowered her voice before adding, "Especially since I have a handsome man to come home to. Now what do you say we get something to eat, I take a nap, and then maybe later I might just accidentally meet up with you in the barn?"
"For someone who's supposedly respectable now, your mind sure has some scandalous thoughts," he teased.
"Just because I'm respectable now don't mean I can't some fun once in a while! Now get me something to eat before I change my mind," she ordered playfully.
"Yes, ma'am, I mean sir," he said with a mock salute. With her around, I don't know how much longer I can stay respectable!
THE END
Author's Note: I think this story as it is now is like cotton candy: sweet and nice for a treat, but it has no substance. Everything happens too quickly, and I don't think it's believable for me to throw them together and have them develop a friendship/budding relationship in such a limited amount of time. I also never did any research about prostitution in the Old West when I originally wrote this, but it turns out that saloons and brothels were usually separate entities. Saloon girls weren't usually prostitutes; their job was to keep the men company and encourage them to spend more money on alcohol. So should Lou be a saloon girl or a prostitute? It's harder to imagine Kid going into a brothel, but I do have an idea about how to get him there.
One change I know I want to make is I want them to meet a few times before he knows what she does for a living. I also want Lou to be the one who comes up with the idea of riding for the Express. I hated the movie Pretty Woman (sorry if you love it), and I hate the trope of men saving women from prostitution. I don't want anyone else to "rescue" Lou. I want her to save herself with encouragement and support from Kid. So, if you've read this far, I appreciate your patience, and I would love your comments about how I can improve this story.
