-1The
sun shone brightly the next day as Allison finished putting her
things away. She had decided that much of her belongings could stay
in her trunks, out in the barn, until Kid and Louise found a place of
their own. She busied herself with helping Louise get ready for the
wedding. She found that she admired this woman that had gone through
hell to get where she was today. Jesse came to the door and watched
her look. He blushed when she saw him.
"Hi Jesse. Can I help
you with something?" She asked.
"I was just wonderin if
you would like to go for a ride?" He asked shyly. He hoped she
said yes. He had asked Kid earlier if he could, and he actually said
yes.
"Sure, that sounds nice. I'll go change." and
Allison headed upstairs. A few minuets later, she came down the
stairs in a split riding skirt, and a simple blouse.
"Ready?"
She asked him, laughing.
"Uh, Yeah. Let's go." and he
led her to the barn. He didn't need to help her up on her horse,
she was an accomplished rider, but she let him anyway. Allison knew
that Jesse was planning on showing off to her, most boys did, and she
just thought it might be fun to let him, this once. They had ridden
for the better part of an hour when the wind picked up and the sky
grew rapidly darker and Jesse urged her to head towards an old barn
they had passed about a mile back. They barely made it into the barn
when lightning lit the sky and thunder cracked, opening the heavens
to release a deluge of rain on the earth. Jesse found an old lantern
that looked like it still had some oil in it and tried to light it.
When he got it lit, he suggested that they go into the tack room to
try and stay warm.
"I
sure hope this lets up pretty soon, Kid is going to worry himself
sick over me. Lou told me how bad he can get over her, I hate to
think what he would do in my case." Allison told Jesse, who
handed her a saddle blanket he had located. It was musty, but warm.
"I don't know. We haven't had a good rain around here in a
while. We may end up being out here for a while." Jesse told
her. That did nothing to reassure her.
"So, Jesse, tell me
about yourself. Why aren't you with your brother Frank?" She
asked.
"Not much really to tell. Frank and I left home after
abolitionist's burned the farm. Ma went to stay with relatives, and
we just struck out on our own. Frank is riding with Quantrill. He
told me that I was too young to be with him. That's okay, though, I
like it here in Rock Creek. But, soon enough, Frank will need my
help. I'll go with them in a heart beat." Jesse told the girl.
"Quantrill, as in Quantrill's raiders? Jesse, they are no
good outlaws. They are no better than the men that burned out your
farm. Why would you want to ride with men like that?" Allison
asked with surprise.
"Why? I guess it's because the
government is trying to tell us what we can or can't do. I learned
about the constitution in school. I know that we have rights. If the
south wants to split from the north, they have the right to do so if
that is what the majority wants. The north doesn't like that. They
think that we are just too dumb to decide what is right and wrong.
Well, now they are gonna have to fight us. And in order to fight, you
have to have weapons, and in order to have weapons, you have to have
the money to buy them. That's where Quantrill's raiders come in.
They are getting the money that the south needs." He explained
to her.
Allison
didn't think he sounded like he was all that convinced himself.
"I
don't know, Jesse. Stealing and burning out people's homes is wrong,
no matter what the cause. Good people, innocent people are dying
because other people think they are furthering "the cause"."
She debated with him. Allison looked out the door and noticed the
rain was beginning to let up.
"It
looks like we might be able to leave soon. Are you up to riding
fast?" Jesse asked her.
"I think that I can manage."
Allison smiled at him as they began to lead the horses out of the
barn. Jesse took off, leading the way, and before he knew it, Allison
had passed him.
"Hey, wait up, you might get lost."
Jesse yelled ahead of him. Allison looked back at him with a mad
grin.
"Think you can keep up with me?" Allison shouted.
Suddenly, the horse came to a stop, and Allison went tumbling over
its head. She knew enough to protect her head and she rolled to a
stop. Jesse reigned to a stop and ran to see if she was all
right.
"Are you okay, Allison?" Jesse asked, checking to
see if she had broken anything. Allison dusted herself off and
offered her hand to Jesse so he could help her up.
"Shoot,
Jesse, I've been thrown worse than that. I'm no city girl. I've
gotten dirty before. Is that horse okay?" Allison asked with
concern, wondering why it had stopped so soon. She ran a hand over
its forelegs and raised it to check the shoe. Sure enough, the horse
had picked up a nasty looking jagged stone.
"Find me a
stick, will ya Jesse?' She asked. He located one and she dislodged
the offending stone. She mounted the horse again. " Looks like
I'll have to take it slower getting home now."
"We are
almost back, anyway." Jesse consoled her
When
they arrived back at the station, Kid was preparing to head out to
look for the two. He breathed a sigh of relief and wrapped his arms
around his cousin.
"I was getting worried. You managed to
get out of the storm, I see." Kid said, noticing that their
clothing was still dry.
"Yeah, we made it to that old barn
about two miles away before the storm hit." Jesse told the Kid.
Kid looked over Allison and noted that she was quite dirty. Allison
cut in to tell Kid what happened with the horse before he could ask.
"My horse picked up a stone and decided to let me off at the
same time. I am okay, though, Kid. Don't get yourself worked up."
She told him.
Kid
looked her over again, and nodded his head for her to get
inside.
"Jesse, will you help me get these horses back in the
barn?" Kid asked the younger man.
"Sure, Kid." And
he followed him into the barn. Allison stood on the porch for a
moment looking back at the proud young man. She hoped that they would
be able to spend more time together.
"Allison,
what ever did you do?" Rachel asked the girl after seeing her
dirty clothes. Allison ducked her head and grinned.
"I fell
off of my horse. I'm all right. 'sides, a little dirt never hurt
anyone." She told her. She bounded up the stairs to change.
Rachel shook her head. Louise walked in.
"What are you
laughing at?" She asked.
"Allison just came back from
her ride with Jesse, all grinnin' away, and covered with dirt. She
said she fell off of her horse. Does that sound familiar, Lou?"
Rachel told her. Lou blushed; remembering that same explanation given
after she and Kid had gone off alone one afternoon and they came back
covered in prairie grass.
"You don't think that she and
Jesse, you know, did anything do you?' Lou asked.
"I don't
think so. I just can't see them doing that. But she was grinning
pretty big, so I do believe that Jesse's not the only one with a
crush." Rachel added.
Upstairs,
Allison finished changing her clothes and looked out the window
towards the barn. Jesse was helping her cousin with some chores and
glancing up at her window. Their eyes met and Allison waved. She
bounced down the stairs and headed back outside. Allison walked over
to him and shyly said
"Hi."
"Hi. You changed
quick, for a girl and all." Jesse tried to start a conversation.
"Well, It's not like I'm some city girl that needs a maid,
or that." She told him.
"I was only kidding."
Jesse tried to smooth over. "Besides, you look prettier than any
city girl I have ever seen." Allison looked at him, trying to
decide if she would accept his compliment or not.
"And have
you seen many city girls in your life, Jesse James?" Allison
pouted prettily.
"If I had, I don't remember them any
longer." He told her truthfully.
Allison leaned against a
stall in the barn. She had her back to the door, and the sunlight lit
her hair like a halo. Jesse knew that he had to kiss her, or he would
not be able to breathe. He took two steps towards her and touched her
face. When she did not shy away from him, he leaned in and
tentatively kissed her mouth softly.
"You can do better than
that, Jesse." Allison told him softly. Jesse cupped her face and
really kissed her this time. Allison felt as if her heart stopped
beating. The kiss slowly deepened as the two grew more confident.
Jesse slid his tongue over her lips, and Allison opened her mouth for
him. Jesse tasted her tongue, and the two stood like that for what
seemed forever.
Allison broke the kiss off gently.
"Well,
I guess you can do better." Allison tried to joke. Jesse looked
down at the floor.
"Jesse, is something wrong?" She
asked when he wouldn't look at her.
"No, well, I don't know.
I just, it's just that, Aww shoot, Allison, I guess I just like you
so much." Jesse tried to explain.
"I like you too,
Jess." Allison told him, sitting down on a pile of hay. Jesse
looked at her.
"Kid would kill me if he knew I was having
these feelings about you." He told her.
"What feelings,
Jess?" Allison asked, wanting to hear the words from his lips.
"I think that I love you, Alli." He told her, blushing
a bright red. Allison looked at him with a hesitant smile.
"You
do?" She asked.
"Yeah, I do." Jesse sat down next
to her on the hay. He touched her hair and treaded through his
fingers. He pulled her closer to him and kissed her again. This time
their kiss was interrupted by a cough. Lou stood in the doorway to
the barn.
"Unless
you want Kid to find you two this way, Allison, I suggest that you
leave, and Jesse, I think that you need to finish these stalls."
She said, trying to cover up a laugh.
"Lou, we were just?"
Jesse started to say.
"Jesse, I'm about to get married. I
know what you were doing. Just finish the stalls. Allison, why don't
you come with me." Lou advised.
Allison
left the barn as Lou followed. She turned to Lou we they reached the
porch.
"Lou, I'm sixteen. I don't need you and Kid treating
me like some sort of mother hen." She told her defensively.
"Would you rather I had let Kid be the one to find the two
of you?" Louise asked the girl, pointing out Kid walking into
the barn.
"You knew that he was headed to the barn?"
Allison asked.
"Yes. Now, go on in the house. We still have
some work to get done before my wedding, and you are going to help."
Lou laughed as Allison blushed.
Allison
and Jesse found moments here and there to be by themselves. They
talked about their childhoods, and what they envisioned for their
futures. The wedding was only a few short days away, and Jesse ran
into the house where Allison was working on some finishing touches on
her dress.
"Jesse, what did you need?" She asked as he
looked over the parlor high and low. Jesse smiled.
"Lou's on
her way into town from her last run, and we are giving her some
presents. Do you know where some knitting needles are?" He
asked. Allison looked at him strangely and handed him a
set.
"Thanks." He kissed her and bounded out the door
over to the barn, going inside with Buck, Noah, and Rachel. Allison
watched from the window, as Lou looked for the other riders, then
dismounted from Lightning and the four jumped out in front of her,
shouting 'Surprise'. Allison smiled at the look on Lou's face when
they handed her a bouquet of flowers, an apron, and Jesse presented
her with the knitting needles. Lou playfully threatened to stab him
with them, and he walked back to the house.
"That was sweet
of you all to do that for Louise. I'm sure she likes being reminded
what pigs men can be." Allison joked.
"Pigs?"
Jesse tried to sound offended as he swung her around and Allison
kissed him soundly.
Tensions in the town were heating up, with the army camped in Rock Creek, recruiting as many of the towns young men as they could. That night, Cody walked in and told them all that he joined up, and that the army was going to be using him as a scout. The wedding was the next day, and both Allison and Louise were concerned when Kid didn't get back to town when they had expected him to. He finally made it, looking a little worse than wear, and wedding went on as planned.
Louise looked like an angel in her wedding gown. She wore her hair up in curls on her head, and Kid looked so handsome in his suit. Nervous too. Jimmy had not shown up to walk Louise down the aisle, and She had asked Jesse to do the honors. The Music started and as Jesse and Louise started down the aisle, Jimmy and a woman burst through the doors and Jimmy joined Jesse in giving Louise away.
The ceremony was beautiful, and the reception was gay, in spite of a young army officer that Louise knew dying as a result of wounds gained in a skirmish with rebels at the border.
The
next thing Allison knew was that Jesse's brother Frank came for him.
Jesse, ignoring Rachel and Teaspoon, went to his brother.
"I
have to Teaspoon. Family is family." Jesse told the older man.
"Jesse, you don't know what you're getting yourself into
here. You won't be able to turn back." Teaspoon told him.
Jesse
looked at Teaspoon, and Allison, who had tears in her eyes.
"
I have to." And he turned to go gather his belongings in the
barn. Allison ran after him. She reached him in the barn, and pleaded
with him not to go.
"Please, Jesse, don't do this. I may
never get to see you again. You said that you love me. I love you
too; I don't want to lose you. What will I do if I lose you?"
She implored. Jesse reached out to touch her face. The heartache was
prevalent in his eyes.
"Alli, I will come back for you. I
swear. I have to help my brother, whatever it is he is doing."
Jesse told her. He kissed her one last time, lingering a moment, as
if to freeze it in his memory. He turned and met his brother at the
door to the barn. Frank nodded to her, and offered an arm to Jesse to
hoist up behind him on the horse.
Allison
watched the boy she loved ride off to become a man with no future.
She dried her tears, and walked back to the reception. Louise looked
at her with concern.
"Are you going to be okay?" Louise
asked. Allison nodded a yes.
"I'll be fine. It's Jesse that
I'm worried about. But, He made his decision, and there is nothing
that I can do to stop him. I'm just going to go on with my life.
That's all I can do." Allison told Louise. Allison knew that it
would be harder than that, but she had dealt with loss and hardship
before, and she knew that she would survive.
THE END
