Chapter 12
A full moon hovered brightly in the starred sky, reflecting its dim light down over the forest in which only a small glowing fire could be spotted among its numerous trees, bushes and foliage. The combination of light and shadows gave the area a spooky atmosphere and the blowing wind howled ominously, deafening any other sounds.
Louise was sitting near the burning fire, her back leaning against a fallen log and her arms wrapped around her flexed legs, in a vain attempt to warm her frozen body. Her face was throbbing painfully and closing her eyes she rested her forehead on her thighs. The sound of footsteps and rustling leaves startled her and her head immediately shot up to locate the source of those approaching sounds. Yet, as soon as her eyes fell on Kid coming up to her, she felt her body relax. The day's incidents had left her shaken and agitated and she hated feeling so vulnerable.
Kid walked up to her with a serious expression, and before placing his body down next to her, he removed his jacket and wrapped it round her shoulders. Louise felt tempted to protest, but before she could say anything, he carefully placed a finger under her chin and made her look at him. "Let's patch you up now," Kid said, his eyes peering intently at her bruised face. The bleeding had stopped but her face was turning into a strange mixture of yellowish and purplish shades all over and there was a big black mark across her neck. "Let's clean the blood first," he explained as he removed a pot from the fire and right away wetted a rag in its hot water. "Then we'll use an ointment for injuries I have in my saddle bags, one of Teaspoon's mysterious recipes. Don't ask me what, but it really works." Lou remained silent, not having the strength to even nod to his words. Wringing out the rag, Kid brought it closer to her face, and as soon as he touched her sore cheek, she scrunched up her face in a grimace. "I know that it hurts, Lou," he muttered, "but it won't take long."
Louise nodded silently, and Kid continued cleaning her face from all the dry blood. His strokes were very soft and careful, but the girl felt really awkward at his nearness. No man had been this close to her, and to her sheer bewilderment she kind of liked to have somebody taking care of her at this very moment. Kid was somebody she felt she could trust. Despite her bad opinion about men, Louise thought that he was somehow different. Kid didn't behave like the majority of men she had come across in her short life, and she was frankly grateful for his help and support in this matter.
"Kid," she started hesitantly, knowing that she should speak her mind now, "I want you to know that I really appreciate what you've done for me today."
"Yeah," he replied wryly, his mind instantly going back to the man who lay at about a few feet away from them. He was still unsure of how to feel about killing Lou's father. The man was obviously not a good person, from the way Kid had seen him treat his own daughter, but despite everything, it didn't feel right.
"I mean it, Kid. Don't torment yourself with that," Lou insisted stubbornly. "He wasn't a father to me, but apparently he had planned to make my life a living nightmare just now."
"I thought you said your parents were both dead," Kid let out the idea that had been nagging him since he learned the man's identity.
"He was to me, anyway," Lou explained in a low voice. She had never felt comfortable talking about her personal matters, especially about those dark points lurking in her life, but after what had happened she admitted that Kid had a right to know. "I hadn't seen him for about ten years. My mother decided he was no good for us and took us out of his life when things got really bad." She lowered her eyes, ashamed of the facts that she didn't voice but were clearly obvious.
Kid placed his finger under her chin and tilted her head towards his. "Lou, it ain't your fault what happened when you were a child."
"I know," she muttered.
"At least your ma had the sense and the chance to do something about it," he added bitterly.
"What do you mean?" she asked, her curiosity perked by his comment and his strange change of demure.
"Well, your father and mine seemed to have gone to the same kind of school," he replied, pausing for the meaning to dawn on her.
"You mean that he…?" Lou asked, unable to complete the question. She was clearly surprised at the implications behind Kid's words. She would never have believed that Kid had suffered the same abuse. By the way he behaved Lou would have sworn that he had an easy and happy childhood, but as she watched him right now, she knew that he was telling her the truth. She could recognize the signs in him as he told her his own story. Louise had never felt comfortable at sharing these pieces of her life with anybody as it brought about a sense of shame and sourness over her, which she'd rather not feel and now she could see the reflection of those same feelings in the young man before her.
Kid nodded at her question and added, "He came home every night completely drunk and used to beat my ma, my brother or me for no reason at all. My poor mother was too sick to do anything about it, and Jed… my brother… simply left when he was old enough."
"So what happened?" Louise asked tentatively.
"One day he just didn't come back," Kid replied bitterly, "I don't know whether he's dead or alive, but honestly I don't care." He sighed deeply as memories of those days came back to him full force. Kid didn't allow himself to think about his father much. As he had told Jed, he didn't want to waste his life hating the man who had fathered him. He just wanted to forget and carry on with his life. Apart from Doritha, nobody knew about his abusive father, but now he felt the urge to share this secret part of him with Lou. It was as if having gone through the same as he had, Louise could understand him and a bond seemed to join them together.
Lou kept thoughtful, pondering his words for a moment, and then remarked through gritted teeth, "Well, as you have seen, my "dear" father wasn't much better and did the same but while being completely sober and always knowing what he was doing."
The Southerner met her bright eyes, and suddenly he felt the strange urge to wrap his arms around her petite frame and hug her tightly. It wasn't fair that these things could happen to a good girl like Lou. How could a man hit a woman, let alone his own daughter? By experience Kid was aware that some men used violence against women; his own mother being one of those women, but how could a man turn against his own flesh and blood? That was something that Kid could never understand. The rider kept looking her in the eyes intently and instead of giving in to his own impulses, he simply said, "He's left your pretty face in a fairly bad shape. I'll do my best but you should see the doctor for that blow to your head when we get back to Rock Creek."
"I'm not going back to Rock Creek," Lou immediately retorted with full conviction.
"How come?" he asked with a frown, staring at her as if she had lost her mind all of a sudden.
"My… Boggs has taken my siblings out of the orphanage. I know that he left them in St Joseph, and I intend to look for them," she explained.
Kid watched her for a few seconds and noticing the determination in her face, he replied, "All right, we'll start off first thing in the morning."
"Kid, it's awfully kind of you, but you've already done too much for me," she said, feeling strangely moved by his offer, but she couldn't bother him with her problems anymore.
"I ain't leaving you on your own," he retorted without a trace of doubt in his voice. "Who knows who you might find with the children, and you're not well."
"I'm fine," she insisted stubbornly, "and I can take care of myself perfectly fine. I don't need a guardian."
"I know you can," Kid replied, cringing at his own clumsiness. He hadn't wanted to imply that she wasn't a more than capable girl, but it had actually sounded that bad. He was simply worried about her and she was obviously in pain and quite weak. "I didn't mean it like that. I just thought that you cold use the help of a friend."
At his words Louise's stance relaxed, and she shook her head ruefully at her own reaction. She had a quick temper that sparked faster than dynamite. In fact, she hated feeling weak and vulnerable and even though she had been completely sincere when she had talked about appreciating Kid's help, she didn't like being seen as this needy and pathetic woman. Lou had been on her own for so long that she had grown into a distrustful and wary person. After her experiences in life, she hadn't allowed herself to trust anybody. Her reserved and distrustful nature was so strong that she didn't even have friends that she could lean on. Yet, as Kid mentioned friendship now, she had to admit that she liked the sound of it.
"What about your job?" she asked after a while, not wanting to give in so easily.
"Well, I'll talk to Teaspoon when I get back. He'll understand," Kid replied, and as he mentioned Teaspoon and his job, he internally grimaced as he remembered Rachel and the errand she had sent him to do. She surely had to be wondering where he had gotten lost to. Yet, Kid disregarded the whole thing; he had got himself involved in a more important issue, and there was no way he could have left Louise in the situation she had found herself in all on her own. Kid didn't regret his decision and would now do his best to help her to find those children, who he had also grown attached to when he had met them in St Jo.
"All right, I'd love the company very much," Louise finally agreed with a wide smile.
"Good," the Southerner exclaimed. "But now let's finish cleaning you up once and for all. You don't wanna scare those two children off, do you?" he added with a wink, and Lou couldn't help but chuckle at his remark. She really felt shattered and all her body hurt terribly, but joking about the day's incidents made things appear in a better light. The thought that Theresa and Jeremiah might be in danger or with undesirable company didn't leave her mind, but at least she had Kid now. It would be better to have somebody she could rely on, and despite her initial unwillingness and protests, she was really glad to have him along.
Kid opened the eyes suddenly as the first rays of sun fell over him. For one moment he felt a bit disoriented, gazing at the blue sky and tree tops hovering over his sprawled body, and he had to bring to mind the events of the previous day. It was a common occurrence in his daily routine to wake up to a brand new day and be unsure of the place where he was. In his present job he woke up in a different location almost at a daily basis, and sometimes he had to make a conscious effort to check his bearings. He briefly wondered whether he was on a ride, and it was then that he remembered Lou and the episode with her father.
Turning his head to the side, Kid directed his gaze to the spot where she had placed her bedroll to sleep the night before, but to his surprise there was nothing to be seen there. Kid frowned and wondered whether she had decided to leave without him as she had initially planned to do. His internal ramblings were interrupted as a voice resounded from the other side.
"Good morning, sleepyhead," Lou greeted cheerfully.
Kid pushed his body to a sitting position and directed his eyes to the girl, who was sitting on the same log they had been using while talking the night before. Louise was finishing braiding her hair while Kid kept staring at her intently. She noticed his curious eyes on her and asked, "What are you looking at, Kid?"
The Southerner blushed at being caught peering at her like a Peeping Tom. His face split into a smile as a way to hide his embarrassment, and pointing his index finger at her head, he said, "You do that with remarkable skill."
"You mean braiding my hair?" she asked among giggles.
Kid rose to his feet and walked towards her. "It looks perfectly neat, and you haven't even needed a mirror for it."
"I've been doing it for a long time now, almost all my life; there's no mystery," Louise replied with a candid smile, amused by his remarks.
"Do you ever let your hair down?" Kid asked as he sat down next to her on the log.
"Sometimes," she muttered as she locked eyes with him. Her face shone with unhidden amusement as she was strangely in the mood to play around with him.
"I'd love to see you without these two someday," Kid remarked, taking one of her braids between two of his fingers.
Lou swatted his hand away playfully and added, "I'm afraid you missed your opportunity just now, Mister," she said, her eyes twinkling with merriment. "You were sleeping like a baby as I unbraided my hair a few minutes ago." She jumped to her feet and bent over to pick up the coffee pot. "So you'll have to be just happy with poor braided me." Kid laughed, staring at her every single movement and, as their eyes met, they sobered and Louise said, "I'll bring some water to make coffee before we set off."
Kid nodded his head as he flashed his grin at her once again. He stared at her as she breezed away towards the creek while the Southerner kept smiling from ear to ear. She was so different to any other girls he knew. He admired her spunk and independence; it wasn't easy for a young woman to be on her own, especially for one who had children counting on her. Any other girls her age were basically intent on looking for a husband or learning to become a good wife in the future. However, it seemed that Lou didn't have any of those cares, and her whole life was centered around her two siblings so that they could have a better life. Kid thought ruefully that she should have the opportunity to enjoy some of the easiness many girls had, but unfortunately, there was nothing he or anybody could do. Louise had been given a hard hand to cope with and that was just the way things were. Right now there was no sense in wailing about life's unfairness and they should simply focus all their attention in finding those two young children.
It was the first hours of the afternoon as Kid and Lou made their entrance in St Joseph. Louise had decided to leave the buckboard that Boggs had brought along behind and use the horse instead. Fortunately, her father had brought a saddle with him and she was glad that she could use it on the horse. That had let them go at a quicker pace even though Kid had continuously insisted on stopping to rest on the trail since he was still concerned about her bruised face and body. Louise had stubbornly fought with him because she was actually feeling fine and didn't see the need to stop every now and then.
That morning they had left the place where they had spent the night without even looking back. Although that was where her father had found his death, she couldn't come to linger on her feelings regarding the man. This was something that she couldn't cope with right now. There were almost no good memories she kept from the man who had given her life. All she could think of was bad moments, which she'd rather forget. Kid and she hadn't talked about the exact place where he had finally left Boggs' body to rest, and she just didn't want to know. He had been dead to her for so long and his disturbing appearance hadn't improved the image and feelings she had for him. So there was no sense to grieve over someone that she had never had genuine parental love for.
Kid and Lou led their horses along the busiest street of St Joseph. The city was bustling with people, wagons and horses, going about their usual daily routine. The pair directed their mounts at one side of the street, and after stopping before one of the big city buildings, they slid off the animals. Louise waited for Kid to secure his mare to the hitching post and when he came next to her, she asked in a thin voice, "Where should we look for them? They could be anywhere."
The rider kept thoughtful for a few moments and then he said, "Are you completely sure they're in the city?"
"That's what he said," Louise replied. "I don't think he was making it up, but … I don't know!" she let out the last part of her speech in a frustrating cry.
"Take it easy, Lou," Kid added, stroking her shoulder encouragingly. "We'll find them. Don't despair so soon." He paused for a moment to gather his thoughts and then he asked, "Could your… Boggs have a place of his own here in St. Joseph?"
"I don't know, Kid. I hadn't seen him for ten long years till he appeared yesterday. I have no clue whatsoever about what was going on in his life," she muttered.
"All right," Kid retorted slowly, trying to bring any other possibilities to mind. "Maybe we should start by checking the city hotels. He might have been on his way somewhere else and simply stopped here to go and get you."
"It's a possibility," Lou admitted.
They didn't waste any precious time and instantly started their search in the hotels. The job was easier said than done. St Joseph was quite a big city and there were at least a dozen of these buildings scattered around the place. Besides, when it came to making inquiries about the two children, the task wasn't a piece of cake either. They couldn't really give a detailed account since they didn't know whether the siblings were with somebody else or Boggs had simply left them on their own, and in most cases, their description of the two children could well correspond with many children their age. On several occasions Lou had thought that they were finally on the right track just to find a nice little family, spending a few days at the hotel, and no trace of Jeremiah and Theresa.
The night was beginning to fall when Kid and Lou stepped into another hotel. It was a small building with just a few rooms, but the atmosphere seemed comfy and welcoming. There was a middle-aged lady behind the counter, and after going through the same ritual of explaining that they weren't looking for accommodations, Lou started describing the two children to the woman. The girl felt the lady's boring eyes on her; it had been practically the same in the other places they had visited. The state her face was in after her tribulation at Boggs's hands awoke the curiosity of strangers, but Louise simply disregarded their prying gazes. After finishing the description of Jeremiah and Theresa, the woman asked, "Why are you looking for them?"
"It's a family matter," Lou said curtly, without elaborating any more.
"There's a couple of children who have been here for a few nights, and could well be the ones you're looking for," the lady explained. "A couple of men and a woman are with them, but I haven't seen the tall, lanky man since the first night."
Louise's heart started pounding wildly in anticipation, thinking that this time they were in the right place, but she didn't want her hopes to get smashed once again. "Are they still here?" she asked eagerly.
"They sure are, but I haven't seen the children again either," the lady explained. "The woman and the younger man come and go, but I don't believe they're the children's folks."
"They are not," Louise stated seriously.
"And you are…?" the lady asked, not sure whether to let out more information to the strange pair before her.
"She's those children's sister," Kid talked this time and to push the woman into letting them know the rest of the information, he allowed himself to tell a small fib. "Ma'am, I'm a deputy of Marshal Hunter, from Rock Creek and we believe that those children in this establishment of yours have been forced away from their rightful home. So I'd appreciate your entire cooperation in this delicate matter."
At his words the woman didn't hesitate one single moment and said, "They're on the second floor, fourth door on the left."
"Thank you," Lou exclaimed and both she and Kid didn't waste any time as they pranced up the stairs. Soon they were before the door to the room, and as Kid unholstered his gun, they shared a look. The Southerner pounded his fist on the wooden surface of the door, and Lou held her breath, waiting for what seemed like hours. They heard heavy steps inside the room and when the door slowly opened to a crack, a man's face appeared before them. In a flash Kid pushed his way inside the room, pressing his gun against the man's chest menacingly.
"Who the hell are you?" the man barked the question loudly, cursing how clumsily he had been for not getting hold of his own gun.
Louise stepped inside quickly and her eyes instantly fell on her siblings, sitting on the edge of the bed and looking visibly scared at their raucous entrance. A woman dressed all in black was sitting next to the children; her arms placed over their shoulders protectively.
"Miah! Theresa!" Lou called while Kid pinned down the man against the wall as he tried to break free.
On seeing her sister, Theresa jumped to her feet and came to her with an ample smile. "Louise!" she exclaimed as she threw her small arms around Lou's waist. The older girl crouched before her and hugged her little sister tightly, planting a kiss on her cheek.
"Who the hell are you?" the man cried again, struggling against Kid's strong hold, but as he heard the gun click, he stopped squirming right away.
"You get out of here nicely and without causing any trouble, and we won't report you for kidnapping these two children," Kid said in a low menacing voice.
"They're Mr. Boggs's children!" the man snapped back, his eyes glaring dangerously in Kid's direction. "Mess with him and you'll be a dead man!"
Kid grabbed him by the collar forcefully and pushed him out of the door with a strong thrust. "Go and find him if you can!" Kid barked, his face contorted with anger.
The man continued growling threats out side the room, but his voice became dimmer and dimmer as he clumped away down the corridor. Meanwhile, the woman silently rose to her feet and breezed out of the room without uttering a single word. Kid closed the door behind her, and then Lou got up from her crouching position in front of Theresa and addressed her brother for the first time. "Jeremiah, I'm so glad to see you."
The boy kept staring at her with a serious expression, and after a few seconds he asked, "Where's my father, Louise?"
"What are you talking about?" Lou let out in a thin voice, unsure of how to answer Jeremiah's question. She had been so intent on finding her two siblings that she had never given any thought to what explanation she'd offer to the children regarding Boggs.
Her words angered the young boy who jumped to his feet as he barked, "Our father. He said that he was going to bring you back with him! Where is he?"
"He wasn't your father, Jeremiah!" Lou replied, feeling the need to stick to her mother's request. She hadn't wanted her younger children to know what kind of person their father was, and Lou planned to respect her ma's wishes. "You know our father died a long time ago."
"You're lying!" the boy growled loudly. "You've been lying to us all this time!"
"Jeremiah!" Lou scolded him for his rough manners, and when she tried to get a hold of his hand, he strongly hit hers away.
"You're a liar!" Jeremiah continued in the same angered tone. "You keep telling us all those lies about living together one day! We've been forced to stay at the orphanage all this time when we could have been with Pa!"
"He's not your father!" Lou repeated, this time more roughly as she placed her hands on his shoulders and lowered her head to his eye level. She should have known that Jeremiah would be in a difficult mood after Boggs had made his appearance. Louise knew that her brother wasn't happy at all to be scooped up at the orphanage while his elder sister had taken upon herself to make all the decisions for their small family. It was no wonder that the boy was so adamant to believe that Boggs was his father.
"Don't touch me!" Jeremiah barked loudly, his eyes bright with uncontrollable fury and in his urge to break free from her hold, he pushed her with all his strength, which almost made her stumble backwards, but Lou stood her ground and didn't let go of him. Without even thinking about it twice, furious as he was the boy slapped her across the face as he repeated, "You lied to us!"
His blow must have touched one of her already sore parts on her cheek. So as soon as his hand touched her face, pain coursed all over Louise and blood started seeping through one of her injured cheekbones. At the boy's obviously uncontrollable actions Kid plodded towards him and grabbing him by the arms, he exclaimed in a firm voice, "That's enough, Jeremiah!"
"Leave me be, Kid" the boy retorted, not pleased at all by his butting in. "This is none of your business."
Without saying another word and feeling that the twelve-year-old needed to cool off away from Lou, Kid lifted the boy and carried him out of the room while he cried energetically. Once outside in the corridor Kid put him down and made him sit down on a bench lined along the wall. Jeremiah quietened, but kept glaring at the young man.
"What's wrong with you, Jeremiah?" the rider asked as he crouched before him so that he could look directly at his eyes. "Why do you have to behave so nastily towards your sister?"
"None of your business," the boy answered gruffly, averting his eyes from his.
"I thought we were friends," Kid remarked and at his words Jeremiah met his gaze, his tense expression relaxing a bit and after a few seconds he said, "My sister lied to me!"
"Why do you believe that?" the Southerner asked, glad that the boy was finally opening up to him.
"She told me that our father was dead, and he was not," Jeremiah explained calmly, his little hands balled into fists as he thought about Louise's deceit. "He came for us, took us out of the orphanage, things Louise keeps promising but never fulfills."
"And do you truly think that this man was your father?" Kid asked and at the boy's nod, he asked once again, "So you're ready to believe this man you didn't know till now over your sister?"
His question made the boy hesitate but immediately he retorted, "Why would he come looking for us if he weren't our father?"
Jeremiah was definitely a very clever boy, and it would be more difficult to get through to him than what Kid had initially thought. "All I know is that your sister loves you and doesn't want any harm to befall you or Theresa."
"What does that have to do with my father?" the boy asked, his anger finally vanishing little by little.
Kid sighed wearily as he found it too hard to talk to Jeremiah. There were things that children should never learn, but at this point he felt that the boy needed to learn the truth about his family and Lou. "Did you notice anything different in your sister?" Kid replied with a new question.
Jeremiah paused briefly and nodding his answer, he said, "Her face was black and blue all over." It was then that it dawned on him what Kid was trying to tell him. "Did he do that to her?"
"I'm afraid so," the Southerner replied with a strained voice.
"But why?" the boy asked, shocked at this new piece of information.
"Jeremiah, don't worry about the reasons," Kid answered. "No matter what, men must never hit women, never ever."
At his words the boy lowered his gaze, feeling ashamed of his behavior in the room a few minutes before and he whispered very softly, "I did."
Lost at his words, Kid furrowed his brow and asked, "What?"
The boy lifted his two trouble eyes to the young man in front of him and blurted out, "I hit Louise."
Kid ruffled Jeremiah's hair affectionately and added with a smile, "I gather your anger got a bit out of control, uh?" As the boy didn't answer, he continued, "I'm sure if you apologize to her, your sister will understand that you didn't mean to harm her." He paused for a brief moment, eyeing the boy intently and then he asked, "Are you ready to do that?"
Jeremiah nodded with a grave expression, and Kid smiled brightly as he rose to his feet. He turned to go and gestured the boy to follow him. "Come on, Jeremiah." Yet, the twelve-year-old didn't move an inch and remained seated on the bench.
"Kid?" he called. The rider stopped short just before the room door and looked at the boy quizzically. Jeremiah met his eyes and blurted out, "Did you kill that man who claimed to be our father?"
The Southerner's face drained of all color at the boy's question. He was still fighting the feeling of guilt over killing Lou's father, and he wasn't sure he was ready to answer the child's curiosity. Kid shuffled back towards the boy and stuttered, "Look… Jeremiah… I…" He paused, letting out his held breath as a way to calm his nerves. "Sometimes things have a way to develop themselves and we have no way to control them." Jeremiah kept staring at him with a serious expression and then Kid added, "All you have to know is that your sister loves you more than anything and would do whatever she had to for your welfare."
"I know," the boy admitted softly, "but … I want us to live like a family. I hate life at the orphanage."
"Things ain't so simple most of the time, and even though Lou's doing her best, things could take a bit longer," Kid explained patiently. "I'm sure a clever boy like you wouldn't want her to worry and think that you don't appreciate her efforts."
Jeremiah shook his head and immediately rose to his feet to follow Kid inside the room. Lou was sitting on the bed, pressing a handkerchief on her bleeding cheek while Theresa sat by her side. As soon as the door creaked open, the two girls turned their eyes to the boy and the young man at the threshold. Louise slowly rose to her feet, expectantly glancing at her brother and trying to read his blank expression. Jeremiah briefly met her eyes before dashing towards her and hugging her tightly. "I'm so sorry Louise, so sorry." He cried bitterly. "I didn't mean to hit you and to say all those horrible things."
Lou stroked his hair tenderly and sharing a look with Kid, she muttered, "I know, honey. It's fine." The boy lifted his eyes to her and for the first time his mouth twitched into a smile and Louise smiled back at him, her heart bursting with bliss. Her siblings were safe and sound after all the worry she had and for the moment that was all she cared about.
Louise craned her neck inside the room and her eyes fell on her brother, who peacefully slept in the bed; his still figure lit by the dim light of the only lamp in the room. Lou was really glad that the boy had finally come round. At his age Jeremiah was sometimes difficult to deal with, and most of the time Louise didn't know how to talk to him. She didn't know what Kid had told the boy to calm him down and she couldn't thank him enough for his help with her brother and with practically everything happening in the past couple of the days. After that talk Jeremiah had been in an unusually cheerful mood, bickering with Theresa as usual and obviously glad to be spending time with Kid and his older sister. Lou wished that Kid could talk and hang about with her brother more often; he was definitely a good influence in the boy, but Louise knew that she would have to try to do it all on her own.
Kid and Lou had taken rooms in the small hotel where they had found the two siblings. It was a comfortable and clean place, and Louise thought it would be better if they spent the night there and take the children back to the orphanage the following morning. She would make use of his opportunity to enjoy her siblings' presence a bit more, and then she'd go back to Rock Creek. After all, she didn't know if she'd still have a job to return to. Lou would try to talk and explain things to Mr. Grigson, but she really couldn't tell whether he'd be willing to overlook her involuntary flit. At least despite her past problems with her boss, the man knew that she was a hard working employee.
After enjoying a very nice dinner with the children and Kid, Louise had put them to bed. Among protests the two siblings had finally said good-night to the rider and filed for the room they had been staying in for the past few days. Then she had spent a few moments of peace and quiet all on her own as she tasted a nice cup of coffee in the small hotel restaurant. Kid had gone to the livery to check on the horses for the last time. She had really welcomed those brief moments by herself to ponder the day's events. She wasn't sure how she felt about everything that had happened to her, but at least these few minutes gave her the opportunity to face her reality and to relax.
About half an hour later she returned to the children's room to check on them. It was now that she was watching Jeremiah as he slept like a baby, and she had to smile at how peaceful he looked. Her eyes, then, shifted to Theresa and she was surprised to find the young girl wide awake.
"Tessie, you should be sleeping," Louise whispered as she tiptoed to her side of the bed and rearranged the bedding around her.
The girl didn't reply to her sister's light scolding and asked instead, "Where's Kid?"
"He's seeing to his mare," Lou replied in the same soft voice.
"I like him," Theresa said with a pleasant grin.
Louise smiled candidly and added, "Yeah, he's a good boy."
"Are you going to marry him, Louise?"
Her question almost made Lou choke, and she stuttered, "What? No! Of course not!"
Her answer wasn't the one Theresa was expecting and disappointment clearly showed in her face. "Why?" she asked in a whining voice.
"Honey, he's engaged to somebody else."
Theresa pouted exaggeratedly as she repeated, "But I like him!"
"I know you do," Lou said, "but we can't control other people's feelings to our own convenience."
Theresa frowned, not happy about what her sister was telling her. She wanted to believe that Kid was Louise's beau, and one day they would all be a family. Apparently, Miah was right and she had simply let her imagination and her own fantasies take over her.
Louise leaned in and planted a kiss on Theresa's forehead. "Honey, Kid's just a good friend. And now be a darling and get to sleep."
Theresa nodded and after blowing out the still lit lamp, Lou walked towards the door. When she was about to step out the room she stopped short as Theresa called her name once again. "I really like him," the young girl whispered and Louise had to chuckle as she muttered "Night".
Closing the door she breezed along the corridor and down the stairs. Still with a smile on her lips, Lou reached the small restaurant and found Kid sitting at the same table where she had been drinking coffee a few minutes before. She took a seat across him and noticing her gay countenance, he asked, "What's so funny?"
"My little sister," Lou started. "She keeps repeating how much she likes you. Seems she's gonna be a little heart breaker when she grows up."
"Not like her elder sister, uh?" Kid remarked, sharing a look with her.
"Absolutely not," Louise stated matter-of-factly.
Kid shook his head at her attitude and after a few seconds in silence, he asked, "Who is he, Lou?"
She frowned at his question, not getting what he was talking about and she let out, "Who is who?"
"The man who broke your heart and left that distrust in you," Kid added, peering into her eyes directly.
Louise lowered her gaze, feeling very uncomfortable all of a sudden. "Nobody broke my heart," Louise said in a soft voice and she mentally added, "At least not in the way you think."
"Then what is it?" Kid insisted.
She dared to lift her eyes to him again, showing that she wasn't happy with the conversation. "I just don't trust men," she simply said, and foreseeing that the rider was going to add another remark, she added, "Look, Kid. Doritha's a lucky girl. You're really a man of honor, but most men aren't."
Kid listened to her arguments intently, not quite believing that she intended to shut herself off to having somebody special in her life forever. Any man would be happy to become part of her life. Not only was she very pretty but she was an intelligent, sensible and good-hearted girl.
"I'm sure that someday a man will come along and steal your heart, and he's gonna be very lucky indeed," he said and as he uttered the words, he was surprised as feelings of jealousy stirred inside him. He admitted that even though he didn't have… he couldn't have a romantic interest in her, he'd hate to lose her as a friend because that was what would definitely happen if somebody special came to her life. That was the explanation to those strange feelings coursing in his insides because Louise was just a good friend, nothing else.
"I know he'd be lucky, but I just don't wanna be the unlucky one," Louise replied with a proud stance to his remark.
Kid laughed at her words, amused by her stubbornness and attitude. "What a pretentious little minx!" Kid exclaimed as he jokingly threw her a napkin. Lou joined in his mirth, relieved that the conversation was toning down its seriousness. She absolutely hated to talk about personal matters, which she only could understand.
The whole exchange was making her nervous, so she tried to change the direction of their conversation, "So are you returning to Rock Creek tomorrow morning?" she asked.
"Well, I think I can afford to stay with you a bit longer and take the children back," he replied. It wouldn't make much difference whether he went back a day earlier; he was ready to receive a tremendous scolding from Teaspoon and Rachel, but he just didn't care. He was glad that he had been able to help Lou out of the situation she had been involved, and he wouldn't hesitate to make the same decision under the same circumstances again. Besides, he would feel more reassured if he stayed with Louise a bit longer. That man who had been with the children under Boggs's orders might still be around and cause havoc to the three siblings. It wasn't something Kid thought very likely to happen, but he wasn't going to take any chances.
At his answer Louise beamed with pleasure and remembering her sister's comments a few minutes before, she said, "You sure are gonna make a girl very happy."
Kid cast an amused look in her direction and lifting an eyebrow he asked, "Oh really?"
Realizing how her words had sounded to his ears, Louise blushed to the roots of her hair. Her own physical reaction made her extremely angry with herself, and she hurried to straighten out her own blunder. "I… I mean my sister."
"Only your sister?" Kid asked again, his eyes shining with merriment as she blushed even more violently.
"I… I…," she stuttered awkwardly, and at the third attempt she finally managed to make a coherent utterance, "I'd better go to bed."
In her hurry to get up, she tangled up her legs with the chair and stumbled forward. Fortunately, Kid was quick to rise to his feet and grabbing her by the upper arms he prevented her from falling flat on her face. She hardly could meet his eyes, feeling more and more awkward at his closeness and with a very soft "thank you" she disentangled herself from his hold and scurried out of the room. He stared after her, smiling from ear and ear.
Suddenly a troubling thought struck him and the smile turned into a confused frown. Where had all that come from? Had he been plainly flirting with her? He just hoped that she wouldn't misinterpret his playful comments. He was just teasing her, nothing else. He was a man engaged to get married soon, and besides, he'd hate it if his clumsy remarks would offend Louise. For some strange reason he still couldn't understand, she was all against having romance and love in her life, and the rider hoped that she didn't think he was deviously playing with her feelings. At least, she didn't seem upset, just embarrassed. There was nothing else to see there. Couldn't he just joke around with a friend? He wouldn't be having these disturbing thoughts if she were one of the boys. So why did he have to be so deprecatory? She was a good friend, who he was really fond of, and there was no harm in simply sharing a laugh. That was it, nothing else. Yeah, nothing else.