Chapter Two

Within the week, Kid and Lou said goodbye to their family in Rock Creek and were on their way to Virginia. Their leave-taking had been difficult, particularly for Cody who, if circumstances prevailed, might find himself on opposite sides of the battlefield from Kid. No one spoke of that possibility. Rachel had taken their departure very badly as well, having to say goodbye to her best friend and confidante in Lou. They did not know if they would see each other again, any of them, but the war had already divided the family irrevocably and there was no turning back.

Louise was quiet as they rode east, lost in her own thoughts. They would be spending two days in St. Joseph during their journey so she could visit with her brother and sister in the orphanage. Lou remembered her promise to come for her family when she could, and she would have liked nothing more than to have them with her in Virginia while Kid was off fighting. But she knew it would be dangerous, and Theresa and Jeremiah were much safer staying in St. Joe. It was Lou's hope that after the war they would be able to be together as a family, this time forever. If the Confederates could be believed this would only be in a few weeks' time. Louise was hopeful, but somehow she did not believe that the war would be fought out so quickly.

The journey to Virginia was long and tiring, but neither Kid nor Lou wanted to hurry it any. They had not been married long and the war would soon separate them, so their time together now was precious. Her visit with Jeremiah and Theresa was a happy reunion, but Lou valued the moments spent with her husband more. They passed through countryside familiar and unknown to her, rugged and breathtakingly beautiful. The further east they went the greener the landscape became. The south was everything she had remembered it to be, and Virginia everything Kid had described. As they drew closer to Kid's childhood home, Lou could finally understand just what the land meant to him, and how difficult it must have been for him to leave when he was fifteen.

The Kid had been raised in a small farming district near Manassas. His father had been a cruel drunkard and had lost the family's land and money, so before Kid was a teenager they had been forced go their separate ways in order to make ends meet. His brother Jed had stayed in Manassas with a neighboring farmer's family, while Kid and his mother had moved in with relatives not far from Richmond, just outside Williamsburg. Kid's aunt and her husband had not been overly thrilled with the prospect of two more mouths to feed, but Kid soon proved himself to be an able farmhand. It was not long before they were able to borrow enough money to purchase their own small plot of land, and it was here close to the cool waters of Chesapeake Bay that he spent the remainder of his short childhood.

Kid was fifteen when his mother died, leaving him to pay off their debts. Rather than spend his life trying to scratch out a living on the farm, he had chosen to head west in search of adventure and fortune. The adventure he had found when he signed up for the Pony Express, but the fortune had eluded him thus far. More valuable than any treasure though, in Kid's opinion, was that he had met Lou.

He was remarkably different from the naïve boy who set out from Virginia, and he could not help but wonder if the land he had known and loved had changed as well. This land that he felt the need to defend, with his very life if required…

But the war was not supposed to last long. Kid planned to take Lou to stay with his cousin and elderly aunt who still lived on their farm near Williamsburg. His cousin Robert was older than him by a dozen years and had become the elder brother he missed in Jed, so Kid knew he could be trusted. Rob had married young and stayed on the land, and although Kid had not seen him for many years, he did not doubt that Rob would still be on the same family farm as always. Kid was not sure if he intended to fight too, but if he did then Isobel, Rob's wife, would probably be glad of Lou's company. Kid would worry less about her if he knew she was with family.

They finally reached Richmond and set out on the final part of their journey. The countryside was lush and tranquil as they passed, prompting Lou to make-believe that there would be no war and all reports to the contrary had been a huge mistake. It was impossible to think of war when surrounded by so much beauty.

She glanced over at Kid as they rode on, wondering how many times they had traveled together like this, and when they would be able to do so again. She slipped her hand into his as they rode side by side and tried not to think about their impending separation.

They finally reached the farm in the late afternoon, and Kid was almost moved to tears when he saw that nothing had changed in his absence. A few cows and horses grazed in the lush grass, and beyond he could see small fields of crops swaying gently in the breeze. The cool air smelled sweet from the bay as smoke furled gently from the chimney of the farmhouse. Chickens pecked in the yard and an old dog burrowed lazily under the porch. Kid had never seen such a perfect sight, and he remembered why he had come all this way to fight. This land was part of him and of his family, and it was his duty to protect it.

He smiled at Lou, who seemed as taken with the farm as he was. No one appeared to be around as they dismounted, and the thought that perhaps his family had moved on after all flashed through Kid's mind.

"Hello?" he called out tentatively.

A man emerged from the back of the house, wiping his hands on a rag. He was tall and broad with brown curly hair, dressed in well-used overalls. Louise had no trouble picking the family resemblance.

"Help you?" the man asked, tucking the rag into his pocket. He suspected the couple in his yard were travelers out to buy some fresh provisions. More and more young men had passed through the area recently on their way to enlist in Davis's provisional Confederate forces

"Well now, that's a fine welcome, Robert Owens," said Kid cheerily.

Rob squinted a took a few steps forward. "Do I know you?" The young man did look familiar, but in the fading light it was difficult to tell.

"I should think so. It hasn't been that long. Although when I left here I suppose I was just a kid."

"Kid!" Robert approached them faster now, recognizing his cousin. "By God, is that you?"

Kid laughed as the older man embraced him in a crushing bear hug. "It's good to see you, Rob."

Rob took a step back and shook his head in disbelief. "Look at you! You're all growed up. I swear, you look like your brother too… Not a kid no more, I guess."

"Don't worry, the name's stuck." Kid grinned from ear to ear.

"Where've you been all these years, boy?"

"Out West. Up Nebraska territory the last coupla years."

"And who's this?" asked Rob, eyeing Lou who still stood with her horse's reins in hand.

"This, cousin Robert, is my wife, Louise," said Kid proudly, placing an arm around her.

"I swear," Rob muttered, shaking his head some more. "All growed up and married. Who would've thought? I'm pleased to meet you, Louise."

"And you," Lou replied. Rob seemed a friendly, good-natured sort. She realized that apart from Jed, he was he only member of Kid's family she had ever met. "Kid's told me so much about you all, I feel like I already know you."

"I'll bet I can guess what he told you. Don't you believe a word of it, now." Rob laughed and slapped Kid's shoulder, his eyes shining with delight at his cousin's surprise return after so many years. "Isobel will be happy to see you again. Momma too. Come on in the house."

"Isobel still puttin' up with you then?" Kid joked as the entered the house.

"Don't you worry, she has me well behaved."

They entered the small farmhouse together, which turned out to be a small collection of rooms surrounding a central kitchen and eating area. A woman was bent over an open hearth, stirring a pot which smelled enticing. She had heard voices in the yard and guessed that her husband had invited more strangers to share a meal with them.

"Isobel, honey, you'll never guess who's here," Rob bellowed as he ushered them in.

His wife turned to greet their visitors and was surprised to see Kid standing where she had been expecting army recruits.

"Kid? Well, I'll be, it's Kid!" she beamed and crossed the room to hug him.

"At least you remember me, Isobel," Kid replied, elbowing Rob in the ribs.

"I remember you were a good deal shorter when you left. But I did dance a waltz with you at my wedding, and made all the girls jealous," she replied. "It's about time we saw you again, Kid. You've been away too long."

Kid admitted the fault with a shamed nod of the head, but he was soon smiling proudly as he introduced Lou. "Isobel, I'd like you to meet my wife, Louise."

Isobel smiled slyly a Kid before turning her gaze on Lou.

"Hello, Louise. I must say you're a lucky woman. Our Kid was considered quite a catch before he ran off to the wilds of the West. I'm glad to meet you."

Louise smiled as she sized up the woman before her. Isobel Owens was tall and thin, a sharp nose dominating her face which was surrounded by fine blonde hair. Lou could tell she had been a great beauty in her youth, but even though she was probably not much older than thirty, the years as a farmer's wife had made her features blunt. The warmth with she spoke endeared her to Louise immediately.

"What on earth are you doing out here, Kid? We thought you'd be mining gold out in California by now," Isobel continued as she took Louise by the arm and deposited her in a chair beside the fire. She recognized fatigue in the young woman which went beyond tiredness and resolved to take care of her.

"It's been a long time since I left, I know. But I think you can guess why I came back," Kid said, his voice serious now.

"Don't tell me you're foolish enough to be going off to this God forsaken fight?" Isobel asked harshly. She threw a sharp glance at her husband who had remained silent up until now. "You're as bad as each other."

"Now, Isobel, Kid's just doing his duty like the rest of us," Rob countered, casting a slightly embarrassed look at his cousin. The war was a sore topic in his house. "It's up to all of us to stop those damn Yankees telling us what to do. When Virginia secedes we have to defend her."

"What happened to your duty to your family, Robert Owens? Or your duty to your wife, Kid? I swear, men have no more sense than chickens sometimes." Isobel huffed and banged a coffee pot onto the table as she poured both Kid and Lou a cup of the hot liquid.

"You aim to enlist then, Kid?" Rob asked quietly. He was used to his wife's ire when the subject of fighting came up, and was glad that he had a new ally in his cousin.

"That's why we're here. Why I had to come back," said Kid simply.

Isobel's face darkened further as she sat heavily into a chair beside an increasingly morose looking Lou. The two women shared a brief glance that spoke volumes.

Rob held out his hand to shake Kid's.

"Welcome home," he said grimly.