Chapter 2

Kid spurred his horse quicker along the road, eager to finish another ride safe and sound. Today there was an extra motivation behind his hurry; he wanted to read the letter addressed to him that he had collected in Fort Laramie. In one of his few stops to rest and water his beloved mare he had been able to scan the contents of it briefly, but he couldn't wait to taste every word written delicately on the fine white paper.

Since he left Virginia years ago, Doritha and he had written each other wherever his destiny had taken him to. His life in the South had been nothing to brag about and since his mother died, there was nothing that linked him to the land. So he had wanted to make a fresh start somewhere else, far from his bitter memories. Kid had never looked back in regret for his decision; his only pain had been to leave Doritha behind. She had been his only true friend, and as they grew up, that friendship had developed into something deeper. For Kid she was the sweetest and most beautiful angel in their hometown.

The first day Kid had seen her at school he had been bedazzled, never believing that there could be somebody so utterly adorable. He remembered her image as clearly as if was yesterday; she had been wearing a white organdy dress with an impeccable sash. Her long blonde hair glazed lovingly like a halo, and when she had flashed her smile in his direction, Kid thought that nobody could be more beautiful than Doritha Simmons. Weeks later she still didn't pay him any heed; she was always surrounded by the other girls of the school or otherwise, other older boys, especially Garth Maxwell who used to tag after her continuously. However, one day while Kid was enjoying his own company during a school break, she sat next to him and offered to share her lunch with him. Since that day he and Doritha had been inseparable. Kid knew that their new friendship awoke the envy of many boys, especially Garth's, but he really didn't care. It was him that Doritha seemed to warm to, and Kid just felt lucky to have her friendship and eventually the feelings turned into mutual love as they grew older.

Kid knew that he didn't have much to offer to Doritha, and the thought had always troubled him. She came from a very wealthy family in Virginia, and she was used to having everything she wanted. Kid, though, was born to poor dirt farmers and things at home weren't a tale of happiness and love at all, but rather the contrary. His father had been a drunkard, who used to beat up his wife and children. They hadn't had it easy and even after his father had left them for good, things hadn't improved much. His brother Jed had left them shortly afterwards and his mother was always too sick. At an early age Kid had felt forced to work as it was the only money they could get to survive. So when his mother had died, he hadn't thought twice to leave the place which held so many bitter memories for him and look out for a new life in the West.

Saying good bye to Doritha had been the hardest thing he had to do. He also had to endure the humiliation of borrowing some money from her because he had none and needed some to start over. That had been the last time he had seen her beautiful face and had left her with the promise that he would send for her as soon as he settled down. Naively he had thought that it wouldn't take him long, but life for a poor boy out on his own was not a piece of cake. Not many seemed willing to give a young boy an opportunity. Getting any job was difficult, and he only managed to work in places that only provided him with enough money to survive day by day. Under those conditions he couldn't send for Doritha; it was already too bad a life for him, let alone for a girl that was used to the comforts of an easy life. Her letters never stopped and all of them were full of loving words and her trust in him. Kid had never been very fond of using the pen, but in his few letters he always insisted that he hadn't forgotten his promise and someday they'd be together. It really had been very hard, and admittedly there was a time when Kid barely remembered her, and doubts had assaulted him. However, Doritha hadn't let him forget her so easily; her letters reached him punctual and filled with the same passion for him and finally that moment of insecurity had fortunately passed by.

Now that he was working for the Express, he was able to earn quite a decent living and would be able to provide for Doritha. During the past several months he had been able to save all his money, and someday soon he would buy his own property, one he could share with her. Working as a Pony Express rider during all these months had made him realize that what he loved most in this life was working with horses. So it was his dream to possess his own horse ranch someday. He knew that the Express wouldn't last forever, so he had begun thinking about what he'd like to do with his life after that. He was sure that he'd be able to make his dream come true because he was well aware that he was good with horses and was full of ideas and plans for the future. He just couldn't imagine doing anything else.

For Doritha life would be very different to the one she had led so far, but Kid had always let her know what she'd be giving up if she wanted a common life with him. He didn't want to have any regrets later, because that would eventually dampen their happiness. Doritha was used to having a house full of comforts and luxuries, where she was served and didn't have to move a finger at all. Being a rancher's wife could be anything but luxurious. She'd have to work hard alongside him, and Kid wouldn't be able to afford to employ any help for the house, at least at the beginning. She'd have to clean, do the laundry, keep the house tidy and cook.

Kid had written his last letter explaining all of this to her; he couldn't let her think that the life he was offering her would be one of a fairy tale. He was no prince and there wouldn't be a palace waiting for her. It would be a hard life, but all she could be sure of was that she could have his love if she would live only with that. At the end of his letter Kid wrote the words that he'd been wanted to put in paper for years. He offered her the opportunity to come to Rock Creek if she was still willing to join her life to his and he enclosed the money for the journey from her town in Virginia to Rock Creek. Kid still didn't even have a place of his own, but he knew that he was on the right way to achieve his dreams. Now it was a good time for her to come. They needed some space and time to talk and getting reacquainted. When they had last seen each other, they were still very young and in these years Kid knew that he had changed, and he was sure that she wasn't the same young girl he had left. He was really willing to see the woman she had turned into. Yeah, they needed that time before deciding to rush into any kind of bigger commitment or think of marriage. Doritha had to see if she really was happy living this life out in the west.

For weeks Kid had waited for her letter with apprehension. He feared that she would change her mind and now that the moment for decisions had finally arrived, she would realize that she wasn't ready for that radical change in her life. So when Kid had gotten her letter, his heart had jumped with joy at reading her words. She was coming and for what she said and the date in the letter he gathered that she would be arriving in Rock Creek in a few days. He had to make sure that everything would be perfect for when she got there. The first days she could stay at the hotel, and then they could find some rooms to rent for her to live in the meantime. That would be the perfect arrangement, and they could continue their courtship with the security that there wouldn't be any more separations.

A few miles before reaching Rock Creek it began raining. It wasn't very hard rain, just drizzle, but the ground was all muddy and soft, and Katy's quick hooves were splashing mud and water all over Kid. The first buildings of Rock Creek came into view, and the Southerner spurred his faithful mare harder. He would stop by in town before going to the station. Since he wasn't bringing back any pouch, he could afford to be a bit late and make this errand. He would go to the hotel and book the best room for Doritha. He still wasn't sure the exact day she'd be coming, but he figured that she would arrive in two days, but one couldn't be sure with the stagecoach. The roads weren't in their best conditions lately with all the rain they had had, and he didn't even know for sure when she'd arrive in St Joseph by train, so she could be coming any day now. He'd hate if she arrived before what he had thought, and found she had nowhere to stay.

Kid stopped his horse just before the hotel and jumped off just to land in a puddle of mud. He cursed himself for his carelessness, and tried to clean up a bit, but there wasn't much he could do about it. His boots and pants were already muddy from the hard ride, and this accident in the puddle had just added up to his already grimy appearance. Kid just made a gesture of resignation, and after securing Katy to the hitching post, he plodded into the building. He headed straight for the counter but the clerk was nowhere to be seen. He pressed the bell on the counter several times, but it seemed that nobody was there.

Suddenly, in the silence of the foyer, a piercing voice reached his ears. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

He looked around, trying to locate the source of this very angered voice, but he didn't see anybody at sight. He just clumsily muttered, "What?"

It was then when he saw her figure emerging to a standing position next to him; her eyes full of fury and her body adopting a challenging posture. "What the hell are you doing?" she repeated angrily.

Kid looked at her surprised and asked her in a soft tone contrasting with her loud words, "Are you talking to me, Miss?"

Louise blinked her eyes in puzzlement, and by the minute her anger dangerously rose at hearing his words. She shook her head in disbelief, her long braids swinging from side to side. "Do you see anybody else here apart from you and me?" she asked in the same angry tone, and Kid stared at her as if she were out of her mind. She glared at him and his clueless expression made her blood boil. "Don't you see what you've done?" she asked the question gesturing at the floor between the front door and where they were standing. It was then that he saw the wet marks and the mud left by his boots. "You come in here with your filthy boots and in two seconds make a mess of my floor, the floor I have been scrubbing all morning!" she barked furiously and now Kid also realized that she was brandishing a scrubbing brush, which for one moment he thought she was gonna hit him with. He had been so intent on his purpose in mind that he had missed the girl cleaning the floor in the lobby.

"I'm sorry, Miss, it wasn't my intention."

Kid's words did not seem to appease her any, and she continued in the same furious tone, "Well, your intentions are as useless as dirty water to me, Mister. It's me who will have to do the whole damn floor again!"

Kid's lips twitched as he tried to stifle the amusement as he watched dumbfounded how this girl was throwing a tantrum for such a trivial issue. The gesture didn't go unnoticed by her and her anger seemed to fuel by the second. "Are you laughing at me?" she barked the question so loud that Kid reckoned that nobody in the hotel or in Rock Creek had missed her words. He tried not to laugh at the absurdity of the situation, but finally he couldn't control himself and ended up chuckling. Louise glared at him speechlessly for the first time, not believing the nerve of the man, making fun of her in her face. She was now fuming and for one second she was tempted to erase his mocking expression with a direct punch to his face, but finally all she did was to use her sharp tongue. "You little nasty …" she began but stopped in mid-sentence as she noticed somebody calling her attention by tapping her on her shoulder.

Louise looked back, and to her chagrin she came face to face with the imposing figure of Mr. Grigson, her boss, who looked anything but pleased. He was with Albert, the clerk, who Louise absolutely abhorred as he was always picking on her and making her every working day a torture. At the presence of the two men she just wanted to be swallowed by the earth right then and there. Mr. Grigson hardly acknowledged her presence and addressed Kid straightaway, "Please Sir, I beg you accept my apologies for the hideous and absolutely improper behavior of this our employee."

It was clear that he had heard the whole exchange, which didn't surprise Louise a bit as she knew that she hadn't been very discreet at all. She kept telling herself that she should control her temper as it would get her into trouble. Yet, when she had seen that oaf trampling the clean floor with his muddy boots, her anger had taken over and without realizing what she was doing, she had let her tongue run free. So it seemed that she hadn't made much progress in her resolution of control, and here she was ready to bring bigger trouble over herself.

Kid was feeling very awkward in the middle of the situation. He knew that Mr. Grigson was the hotel manager, and he feared that nothing good would come out of it for the girl. Although unwillingly, it had been his fault that had begun everything, but he had to admit that it wasn't such a big deal to hit the roof like that. Even so, he'd hate if she had to pay for his clumsiness. "It's all right, Mr. Grigson," Kid began, "it's all been a misunderstanding. No harm done." The girl kept her eyes downcast, and Kid could bet that he saw her let out her held breath on hearing him. "I just came here to book a room."

Mr. Grigson smiled satisfied and said with a deep voice, "Very well then. Albert here will assist you."

The clerk nodded at Kid in agreement and rounded the counter to check the registration book for vacancies. Meanwhile, Mr. Grigson turned to leave, but before that he tapped Louise on the shoulder and gestured her to follow him into his office just opposite the reception. She just nodded and went after him with an annoyed expression. While Kid was sorting out the room for Doritha, he kept a curious eye on the scene in the manager's office. The door was ajar, and even though he couldn't make out the words uttered, it was clear that the girl was receiving a tremendous scolding from her boss. She didn't say much as far as Kid could see; she just kept nodding her head while the man was talking to lengths with an expression that implied that he was far from pleased.

"That's all," Kid heard said next to him and in that moment he realized that he had been so distracted, watching the scene between Mr. Grigson and the girl, that he hadn't paid much attention to his own business.

"Uh… thank you," he managed to say and turned to leave the hotel. He stepped into the walkway outside the building and looked back inside once more. It was really silly, but he felt kind of worried about the girl's job after what had happened. It wasn't his fault if she had got into trouble with her boss. He had to admit that it wasn't proper to talk to anybody like she had, especially a hotel customer. But despite being the target of her anger, Kid found this girl really amusing and in some way refreshing. Not many girls he knew would have the guts to talk to a man in that tone. Women were basically taught to be docile and obey men, but this young girl… she was kind of different. Maybe it was because she seemed to be quite young, still wearing braids and that simple dress.

Kid remained just outside the hotel for a few minutes and then he saw her coming out into the lobby. She was holding her head in a proud and dignified fashion and without further ado she picked up the pail of water from the floor in the foyer and came towards the door. As she came out of the building, she walked a few steps forward, not noticing Kid at all and threw the dirty water on the street. Louise kept still for one moment as if deep in thought and then cursed under her breath, but still loud enough for Kid to hear it, "Bastard".

Kid couldn't help but snicker when he heard her. She turned around quickly as she heard somebody laughing behind her back, and on finding his amused face before her she glared at him silently. He sobered a bit when he saw that she did not share his amusement at all and said, "I'm sorry for what happened inside, Miss. I hope you didn't get into any trouble with Mr. Grigson."

Louise made a derisive sound and tilting her chin proudly she flicked her long braids over her shoulders and walked away without saying one single word. Kid watched her as she crossed the street and stopped just before the water pump on the other side and began filling her bucket. She still had that proud stance, and Kid shook his head in amusement at the girl's antics. In that moment a shout calling his name drew his attention off her. Turning his eyes towards the source of the call he saw Cody and Jimmy walking towards him along the main street. Kid went down the few steps off the hotel porch and approached his friends.

"Hey, Kid," Cody greeted with a smirk on his face. "What the heck has you all absorbed? We've been calling you for ages."

The sandy-haired rider shook his head and chuckled. "Nothing. There's this girl and …" he began but Jimmy cut him off.

"A girl? I thought you only had eyes for Miss Simmons's photograph."

"It wasn't like that," Kid protested, and untying Katy from the hitching post, the three friends began walking along the main street towards the station. "We had a terrible argument; she was downright rude."

"Is she pretty?" Cody asked, always looking for an opportunity to meet female company.

"I don't know, Cody, and I don't care," Kid snapped, running out of patience. He was already regretting telling his friends about his incident with this strange girl. "Anyway, she was far too young for you."

"So what did you do to her, Kid? Take her lollipop or break her doll?" Cody quipped amusingly, which won him a dangerous glare from Kid.

Jimmy patted his friend on the shoulder and added, "Don't get all so wound up, Kid. We were just teasing you." He paused for a moment and then asked, "Anyway, how was your ride?"

Kid smiled broadly, remembering the letter he still carried in his pocket and said, "It was great." He stopped for a beat and after a few seconds he added, beaming happily, "Doritha's coming."