Chapter 8
The next day, Lou woke up with a purpose. She had spent the night thinking of hers and Jimmy's conversation from the previous evening and his confession to her. Did he really say he wanted her to be his wife or had it all been a dream?
She went to talk to Teaspoon about his extensive history of marriage and divorce but only learned that the laws were much different now than they were when he was last married and suggested she go to the law office in town for answers. There she learned that that she would need to see a divorce lawyer to dissolve her marriage but the closest divorce lawyer was in Lincoln.
She rode out to ask Buck and Emily to watch over Jamie for a few days while she traveled to Lincoln to see the lawyer. Jimmy and even Rachel offered to travel with her, but she decided this was something she had to do on her own. She did a lot of thinking on her ride and it reminded her of riding for the express; just her, Lightning, and the open trail. Back in the day of the express she could easily ride the distance in one day with transfer horses, but since it was just her and Lightning it would take a couple of days at least.
Once in Lincoln, she got an appointment with the lawyer she was told about, a Mr. Browning. He told her that granting a divorce to a woman was a lot more difficult than if the husband was requesting it. Things would be easier however with the fact that she had learned about an affair that Kid had in Richmond. It seems divorces were granted a lot quicker when infidelity was the reason. She also showed him the letter that Kid had left for her. Mr. Browning asked Lou several questions and had her fill out some papers. He then said he would send a letter to The Kid and take care of the details. If Kid responded and agreed to the divorce, it could be written up right away. He said they may still have to go before a judge to finalize matters. However Lou was more than willing to do whatever it took to just have it over with. She made her return to Rock Creek the next day with a new found outlook on her future.
On her way back to Rock Creek, she couldn't wait to see Jamie. It had been the longest she had ever been away from him and she missed him terribly. It wasn't only Jamie she missed though.
She went to Buck and Emily's first to pick up Jamie and got to hear all about his adventures with Hunter. The two then traveled back home where she was surprised to see Jimmy waiting on them.
"Don't you have a town to protect?" Lou asked as she got close enough for him to hear.
"I had something more important to do." He responded stepping off the porch. She had just gotten off her horse, when Jimmy spun her around and placed his hands on both side of her face. He kissed her feverishly, leaving Lou in shock for a moment before kissing him back with all the passion she had been hiding for him. The world around them disappeared while they cherished the moment they both dreamed of many times before. It was so much more than the kiss they shared in front of the fire with Elias years ago. This wasn't urgent and demanding, it was a welcome home in many ways. It was a promise of forever.
As Jimmy pulled away, there was so much he wanted to say and to ask about her trip, but he stared into her doe eyes and said what was foremost on his mind, "I missed you Lou." She wrapped her arms around his middle and placed her head on his chest. "I missed you too Jimmy." They stayed like that for a time before the little snicker of a child caught their attention. They looked down to see Jamie smiling back, trying not to interrupt but couldn't hold in his fit of giggles. Jimmy went to grab the little boy, but Jamie took off running and laughing into the house. It was so good to be home.
While Jamie ran into the house where he would surely find Rachel, Jimmy followed Lou to the barn to take care of her horse. It was then that they spoke of her trip and what she had learned.
"How do you feel about all this?" Jimmy asked as he noticed she looked a little defeated. She thought of her words carefully before saying "I know with all my heart there is no possible way our marriage could be saved, but I expect I'll never not feel like a failure."
"Oh Lou, you ain't a failure. You did everything he wanted. You followed him into a warzone when you could've stayed safe right here. Then you waited for him to return after he practically abandoned you when you were with child." He placed a hand on her chin and raised it up as she had looked to the ground. "Lou, if what that woman said in Richmond is true, he broke up your marriage long before you left. Hell Kid wrote that damn letter to you. He couldn't even tell you that stuff to your face. That makes him a coward!" He knew he was getting angry and he knew he was making Lou upset, which was the last thing he wanted to do.
"I know…I know." She said. "Thanks Jimmy. Not sure what I'd do without you."
