Ch 2

Kid walked back into the station just as Jimmy was putting his tools away. He stood off to the side waiting for him to finish. Jimmy stood and stretched. He turned to go wash up when he saw Kid.

"Jimmy, can you talk for a minute?"

"Something wrong?"

"Not really. Just thought we could talk for a few."

"I reckon so. What's on your mind?" Jimmy said as he leaned back against the wall crossing his arms.

"Louise."

"I should have known."

"She hasn't set a wedding day yet. It's been a few weeks since I asked her. I thought she would want to go ahead and marry but she seems like she could care less."

"Kid, maybe I'm not the one you need to be talking to about all this."

"Come on Jimmy, all Teaspoon does is confuse me and Cody is just a no. I need a friend here."

"Maybe you shouldn't ask her about it anymore, just let her come to you with a date when she is ready. It's gonna be a big change for her."

"I know but she needs this change. It's time. She can't go on pretending forever and it gets more dangerous by the day."

"Well my advice to you is this, don't push Lou into becoming Louise. The more you push, the more she is gonna push away. She will come around on her own time."

"I don't want to wait forever. I'm ready for her to be my wife."

"Maybe Lou ain't quite ready to have a husband."

Kid looked at Jimmy as he pushed away from the wall and walked to the bunkhouse.

Buck heard Kid talking to Jimmy. He didn't know how Jimmy managed to do it. First Lou, now Kid. He had it on both sides. He watched Kid slowly make his way out of the barn in deep thought.

Lou made it back in from her run the next morning right on schedule. She tossed the pouch to Noah and waved as he rode off. Kid met her in the yard.

"Hey Lou, I've missed you. Any trouble? Let me take your horse."

"Nothing out of the ordinary."

"That's good to hear." Kid said as he bent and kissed her on the cheek.

"I think I'm going to wash up and go visit with Rachel before supper."

"Ok honey. I'll see you later."

Lou watched him go. He hadn't mentioned the wedding at all and he wasn't as suffocating. That was odd. She got her things to wash up. After cleaning up, she knocked on Rachel's door.

"Louise? Come on in."

"Thanks."

"How was your ride?"

"Long and boring."

"What's wrong?"

"I don't know Rachel, that's the thing. I feel like I'm in a rut."

"Wedding stress?"

"That obvious?"

"I see how giddy Kid is. He would walk down that aisle this weekend if he could. You on the other hand, look like you could run at any moment."

"I'm scared of all the change that is coming. I don't know if I'm ready for it all at once. He wants kids right away. He wants me to stop riding and just be in the house. I'm scared to even think about it."

"Louise, honey, you can take it as slow as you want. You could wait months before you marry. You need to have a talk with him and let him know that you are scared."

"He would just push it all aside like he always does. He is a lost cause because he thinks he is always right."

"I know Kid is stubborn but he will respect your feelings."

"I ain't so sure."

"Louise, if you are having these feelings of doubt, don't marry him right now. Put it off and see if anything changes. When you marry someone, you can't have any regrets."

"Thanks Rachel. I need to be alone to think for a few."

"Louise, don't kill yourself over it."

"I won't." Lou said as she stood and left.