Chapter 36

A few days later Kid was on his way back from a ride. There were some documents he had collected in Fort Kearney for Teaspoon and instead of directing his mare towards the station, he decided to stop in town. Like usual, Kid didn't know what was in those papers, but his sense told him that the marshal would want to see them as soon as possible. When he entered his office, Teaspoon wasn't there, so the rider left the documents with the deputy and stepped out of the jailhouse merely seconds afterwards.

While he was untethering Katy from the hitching post, the image of the general store at the end of the street seemed to stand out. He rested his limp arms on the mare's back as he kept staring at the place. In the last few days he had sent Lou a couple of letters he had left her at the store, trying to explain to her how he still felt and how sorry he was for everything that had gone wrong . It had taken him hours to come up with the right words for each letter, after discarding heaps of crumpled paper, and thanks to Rachel's help he had finally managed to write what he had really wanted to say.

Kid didn't know whether Louise had read those letters or not, and if she had, what her reaction to his words had been. The rider hadn't had the courage to face her yet, but now the general store appeared before his eyes like an open invitation to try his luck. Maybe she would let him talk this time, and they could have a conversation in which to clear this muddle. Kid felt that he missed talking to her the most. Even when they had just been friends, they had been able to talk openly to each other. This was the first time where silence had settled, and they were acting more and more like strangers.

As Kid was deep in thought, debating with himself whether to pluck up the courage to go and see Lou, a voice behind him snapped him out of his thoughtfulness. "I thought you had moved out of town." The rider turned round and found Samantha with a smiling expression standing a few feet from him. He moved towards her while the slender teacher remarked, "I haven't seen you in ages. What have you been up to, cowboy?"

"Nothing much really," Kid said in a soft voice. "We've had it a bit rough at the station lately."

Samantha wanted to kick herself for her insensibility. The news of the black rider's death had been everywhere in town, and even though Samantha had wanted to attend the funeral mostly for Rachel's sake, Martha had convinced her that they should keep away from those matters and avoid any suspicions about her true nature falling over her. "I heard about your friend. I'm really sorry."

"Thanks," Kid replied somberly. Noah's passing was still a very sore matter, and things weren't easy at the station since then. Soon Cody would be leaving them, and he and Jimmy were still not talking. The long-haired rider hung about Rosemary most of the time and when he was around the station, the woman was usually a guest as well. Kid couldn't help but feel very hurt whenever he lay eyes on her as she reminded him of the unfairness of Noah's death. Trying to push all these depressing thoughts out of his mind, he tried to change the subject. "So how have you been yourself?"

"Well, better, thank you," Samantha admitted in a whisper. It had been hard to come to terms with Robert's death and starting to repair her relationship with her mother. It had been hard to hear from her lips that the man she had been in love with was her real father. Somehow Samantha had always resented her, but she now understood that Martha had sacrificed herself to give her something nobody else could, an opportunity to have a real life like everybody. "I never thanked you for your help that night."

"I didn't do anything," the Southerner replied. That was the way he felt. Nothing he had done that day or the following one had helped anybody at all. He had simply got into trouble with Robert for his own foolishness. It had been his pride which had caused him to lose Lou and might have killed him.

"I think you did," Samantha remarked with a smile.

"So you've settled down already?" Kid asked again, wanting to forget about that day.

"I guess. Rock Creek is definitely very different from Sweetwater."

"It sure is," Kid agreed.

"And it is very pleasant to work with Rachel. She's a charming lady," the teacher continued. "Thank God for that, because some of the older pupils are giving me more than one headache. They are just such brutes." At Kid's skeptical stare, she added, "You know what they did as a welcoming gift to their new teacher? They filled one of my desk drawers with dozens of frogs. Can you imagine how total chaos broke out when I opened that drawer, and the frogs started to leap everywhere, scaring the younger girls and sending the boys into a wild frenzy?"

Kid started to laugh at her account. He could picture the situation Samantha was describing perfectly. As a small child, his teacher, Mrs. Dawson, had been on the receiving end of all kinds of mischief. She had been a too soft-hearted teacher and the older pupils were always plotting to play tricks on her. "Don't laugh, Kid! It's not funny!" Samantha exclaimed, swatting his arm playfully, but soon both of them were laughing heartily.

Laughter, though, instantly died out as Kid's gaze fell on a couple of angry eyes which watched them. Louise stood in the middle of the street, staring at them with a mixture of outrage and pain. When Kid finally noticed her and met her eyes, Louise adopted a proud stance as she continued on her way to the mercantile. Their eyes locked briefly, but then Lou ducked her head and went past the pair with quick steps. Kid kept looking at her figure with agonizing eyes till she finally disappeared down the street. The rider cursed his bad luck. Of all the moments to come across Lou, it had to be now that he was doing small talk with Samantha. Today of all days! He hadn't even seen the teacher in all this time, and Lou had to come upon them as they laughed like two complete fools. The brief moment their eyes had met told him that he should forget about a likely make-up. He knew Lou too well and her glaring eyes had spoken volumes about what she was thinking.

Samantha followed the direction of his gaze and then she saw Louise dash past them without saying a single word. She watched the rider's eyes follow the girl with an intense longing, and only when she disappeared from view, Kid looked away. "I've heard that you two broke up, is that true?" Samantha dared to ask.

"I guess it is," Kid muttered in a grave voice.

The teacher was surprised to see him look in such low spirits. Since she met him back in Sweetwater, Kid had always worn a constant smile whenever she had come across him. This was a new side of him, and she now realized that her assumptions about him and his girl had been totally inaccurate. By his looks the young teacher felt that Kid had been … was genuinely in love with Louise. Samantha hated seeing him like that and in an attempt to raise his spirits she said, "Well, it's good news for us single girls to know you're free again."

At her words Kid shook his head sadly and added, "I'm afraid you're wrong, Samantha. Not having Lou in my life doesn't mean my heart is free." The woman looked at him in understanding and sending her a faint smile, the rider said, "It was nice talking to you. Good day."

The woman nodded her head, and the rider turned back to his horse and with a heavy heart he mounted and rode to the station, fearing in his heart that a very black perspective lay before him.

In the meantime, Lou had reached the store, fighting a fierce battle inside her head. The image of Kid and Samantha laughing and talking as if they were a happy regular couple had stabbed her sharply. In the last few days she had entertained ideas about the possibility of getting back together with Kid. She had even thought she had been too hard on him, not having given him a chance to explain himself before.

Kid had written her a couple of letters, in which he told her how much he still loved her, and what a fool he had been for letting other people's problems come between them. The letters were full of words of love and promises. Lou had lost count of how many times she had read his handwritten words, and now she could practically recite them by heart. Truth to be told, since then she had been in strangely high spirits as she played Kid's words in her mind over and over again all day long. And now… she felt like a complete idiot. Had he been with that woman all this time while he talked to her about love through his letters? She wanted to cry and wail out of sheer rage and in that terrible mood she stumbled upon a sack of potatoes.

"Damn!" she exclaimed gruffly.

"Again in a bad mood, Louise?" Tompkins said from behind the counter where he was checking his ledger.

Lou sent him an irritated look, and then she crossed the length of the store. She grabbed her apron from the peg inside the back room and tied it up behind her back. Without another word she took a cloth and started dusting the cans which were in the shelves at the far end. The task proved to be more tiring and dull today than ever before. She couldn't stop thinking of Kid and that woman. How could she be so stupid?

Rachel had been totally wrong when she had told her about Kid's lack of interest in Samantha. There on the street he had looked so relaxed and at ease in that woman's company. Even if they weren't together in that sense, it was clear that sooner or later it would happen. Why on earth then had he written those letters if he wanted Samantha? Maybe he was playing with both of them at the same time. Lou quickly refused the thought. Kid wasn't like that, but on second thought she had to admit that she wasn't sure if she knew him at all. After all, she had constantly said that no man could be as good as Kid pretended to be, and maybe she had been right, all that had been just pretense. All men were nothing but cheating, abusive creeps, and Kid seemed to be no different. Lou now wondered whether all they had lived together had been a lie. She refused to believe that. There must have been something true in those special times they had shared.

Today work didn't keep her mind away from destructive thoughts however much she tried. There were several customers in the store as Lou continued with her task and when she took a glimpse around, her eyes widened in a mixture of bitterness and horror as she spotted Samantha before Mr. Tompkins. The store keeper was wrapping up some books with the usual brown paper, and after securing the package with some string, the man handed it to the teacher. Lou kept staring at her as Samantha bid good-bye to Tompkins and turned to leave.

The brown-haired teacher then noticed the girl and as she directed her eyes to her, Lou turned her back to her in a flash and continued with her task. She just didn't want to see her satisfied smirk as her behavior would flaunt her happiness about having Kid for her. With relief Lou heard the woman's steps leaving the store, and she felt tears sting her eyes. She now realized that the image she had been slapped with today would be a regular one, and her sense told her that she would have to stand their presence as they came to the store together. The perspective was too painful and Lou doubted that she'd be able to resist all that. She knew she was strong and proud, but remembering the agony she had been through whenever she had seen Kid and Doritha together, she had to admit that she didn't want to undergo the same terrible predicament again.

Running her eyes around the store, Louise realized that the customers were gone and there was nobody in sight. Leaving the dusty cloth on one shelf she ambled towards the counter. "Mr. Tompkins?" she called with a soft voice.

"Are you done with those cans?" the man asked without lifting his eyes from the book he was holding.

"Not really," Louise replied, "but I want to talk to you about something important."

Her words managed to draw his complete attention and closing the book, he placed it on the counter. "What is it?"

"Well, you know I'm quite happy working for you, but I'm afraid it's time for me to move on," she explained with a soft voice, hurting deeply for the decision she had just made.

"Are you saying you want to leave?" Tompkins asked with a dumbfounded expression.

"Well… yeah… I've been thinking about it for a while now. I could try my luck in St Joseph. That way I would be closer to my siblings," Lou replied awkwardly. These reasons weren't totally true, but the idea of moving to St Jo grew more and more appealing as she thought about it. Now that Wicks was dead, she had no cause to avoid the city any longer.

"Are you sure it's just that? Would this sudden decision by any chance have anything to do with Kid?" Tompkins dared to ask, knowing that Louise hadn't been herself, feeling very low and miserable since she had broken up with the rider.

"I just need to go, Mr. Tompkins," Lou stated firmly, not answering the question the man had asked.

The store owner knew that he had touched a raw nerve in his assumptions. "I thought you two were getting closer again," the man commented since he had noticed the soft and hopeful expression her face had adopted when he had handed over each of those two letters the rider had left for her. He'd have sworn that the pair would be back together sooner than later, but something else must have happened to set things backwards.

"Mr. Tompkins, please, I don't want to talk about him."

"Fine then. But, Louise, why don't you take the rest of the day off and think things over before rushing into anything?" Tompkins offered.

"I have nothing to think about," Lou retorted stubbornly. "I'm sure of what I want."

"I'll miss you then. You're a good girl, Louise," the mark remarked in all honesty.

"Thanks," the girl let out with a cracked voice. It moved her to hear the compliment from Tompkins's lips. The store owner was known not to waste kind words in vain, so when he said something, he sure meant it.

"I've gotten used to having some help around here," the man continued, "I'm getting old, so I'll have to find somebody to replace you.

"I'll stay till you get my replacement, Mr. Tompkins, and help to show them the ropes," Lou said, telling herself that she would be strong and choke back her tears if she happened to come across Kid and his new interest again. If she had any say in this, she would be saying good-bye to Rock Creek today, but she couldn't leave Tompkins in the lurch. "Then I'll go."

"Very well then. And now take the rest of the day off."

"But…" she tried to protest, but the man was in the mood to feel generous today and cut her off, "I insist. Don't make me say it twice because I may change my mind."

Louise smiled her thanks and removing her apron, she bid her boss good-bye and walked out of the door towards her rooms. As she slowly ambled along, her mind was very much active, pondering about this sudden turn of events. This was the saddest and most difficult decision she had to make, but she really needed to break free. It was getting increasingly painful to stand this situation with Kid. Even though they had hardly been together for over a month, it hurt as much as if they had been a couple for many, many years. She hoped that the pain would fade when she finally put some distance between them. She just didn't want to suffer anymore, and even though her heart would break the day she left Rock Creek and her memories of him behind, this was by far the best solution for her sanity of mind.

That afternoon the riders and Rachel rode to town. Cody had come back from his daily duty with his unit, announcing that he would be leaving Rock Creek the following day. The news had been received with obvious discontent by the three other riders, Teaspoon and Rachel. After these weeks, the marshal had finally come to terms with the idea of Cody leaving and with a heavy heart he managed to offer some of his usual wise words to the from-today-on former rider. It was heartbreaking for Teaspoon to see his family disintegrate as he had foreseen it would happen. Two of his boys were dead, one going to the war, and it was a question of time for the Pony Express to die and the rest would also go their different paths.

Not wanting Cody's last day to be a poor memory, Rachel had come up with the idea of having a special dinner for all of them. She suspected that none felt like celebrating, so she had insisted that she wouldn't hear any excuses from anyone to miss the occasion. As it was a special occasion for him, Cody got to choose what they would be tasting that night, but before that could happen, the four riders and Rachel needed to go for provisions to town. It would be the last time they'd all do this usual task together, and there was a grim air in the group as they rode to town.

When they reached the general store and stopped the horses and the wagon Rachel was driving, Kid stared at the building warily. He wasn't looking forward to seeing Lou and receiving a similar glaring look to the one she had cast in his direction this morning. "Rachel, shall I get going to the feed store for the grain in the meantime?" Kid asked from atop Katy.

"Kid, come on, don't be yellow. She ain't gonna bite you," Cody quipped with a sneer.

"Cody, be nice," Rachel admonished and feeling that something was troubling Kid, she thought that the boy needed a break. "Of course you can," she answered the Southerner. "We'll meet you there when we finish and the boys will help you to load the sacks onto the wagon."

Kid nodded and rode off to the other side of town while the other three riders and Rachel made their way to the store. As they stepped inside, they saw Tompkins attach a 'help needed' notice to the door.

"You're planning on retiring, Mr. Tompkins?" Cody asked the store-owner.

"Well, he can definitely afford it with these prices," Jimmy remarked in a low voice as he grabbed a small bag of flour, whose tag read five cents more expensive than a few days before.

"I would have others doing work for me if I could," Buck finally concluded.

"Will you three shut your traps?" Tompkins retorted roughly. "I ain't retiring. I just need somebody to replace Louise."

His words caught Rachel's attention and swirling around towards the man, she asked with a frown, "Something wrong with her? Is she sick?"

"No, she's as right as rain as far as I know," Tompkins replied as he turned to walk back towards his counter.

"Oh no! You fired her!" Cody exclaimed with big eyes as he pointed an accusing finger to the man as he stood in his way.

"Stop talking nonsense! She simply quit, that's all. Wants to leave Rock Creek," the man replied, sending an irritated look at the blonde rider. "And now keep to your business, and stop pestering me with your impertinent questions."

Rachel was about to ask him some more but refrained from it. It was obvious that the store keeper was in a more irritated mood than usual. Maybe he was unhappy about Lou leaving so suddenly. Rachel could tell that the frumpy old man had taken a liking to the girl and probably was sulking since he learned that she would be leaving. Rachel could only imagine how Kid would react when he heard about the news, and the station mistress feared that they had another blow in stock coming their way. Kid would surely return to Virginia when he realized that everything was lost with Louise. Rachel didn't want to think that another one of her boys would be leaving. It was too painful and trying to stir her mind off these thoughts, she focused her attention to the big shopping list and to get everything they needed for tonight's dinner.

About half an hour later, Rachel and the three riders rode towards the feed store where Kid would be waiting for them. Rachel couldn't stop thinking about what they had learned from Tompkins and was wondering, fighting how to break the news to the southern rider. He was definitely going to take it very hard. The station mistress felt disappointed that her hopes of seeing the pair together again had proved to be totally erroneous. She knew that Lou had been hurt by the rider's foolish behavior, but after their conversation a few days ago, the station mistress had thought that she had seen a ray of hope in the girl. Something else must have happened, she mused.

Kid was waiting before the feed store, sitting on the wooden platform, when he saw his friends approaching. The Southerner stood up and came up to the wagon to help Rachel out of it while the other riders jumped off their mounts. The four men quickly started to load the sacks of grain on the back of the wagon while Rachel rested her body against the wooden platform in the cooler shade. From her position she watched the boys work side by side, and it hurt her to think that this image would be the last of the four of them together.

Kid was about to hurl another sack over his shoulder when Cody came next to him and said, "You needn't have worried about seeing Lou at the store. She wasn't there, and apparently won't be much longer."

"Cody…" Buck warned his friend as his words reached him. It was obvious that their blonde friend was about to say the wrong thing at the wrong time again. Kid was now too sensitive to anything related to Lou, and this wasn't the way he should learn about her leaving.

"What d'you mean by that?" Kid asked Cody with a frown, and when the blonde rider wouldn't talk, the Southerner dropped the sack onto the boardwalk heavily and in a flash he grabbed his friend by the collar in a strong hold. "What is it, Cody?"

Before the blonde rider could say anything, Jimmy spoke up behind Kid. "According to Tompkins, she's moving out of town."

"Wh…what?" the Southerner stuttered as if he had been hit on the head. "When?"

"We don't know, Kid," Buck replied. "Tompkins didn't say much."

Kid kept deep in thought, releasing his grip on Cody and after a few seconds and without saying a word, he stormed off. "Where are you going?" Jimmy called after him, but the Southerner never stopped. Any other time, the long-haired rider would have run after him but right now things were awkward between them. They only talked when they needed to discuss some work-related matter, but other than that today was the most they had said to each other in all this time. Jimmy felt he missed his friend but he just couldn't overlook the way Kid looked at Rosemary whenever they met. She was the woman he loved, and Jimmy was ready to break any bonds with his friend for his love.

The three riders stared at their friend as he disappeared down the street. Rachel, who had seen the strange exchange between the boys, left the coolness of her spot and approached them. "What's wrong? Where's Kid going?"

"Your guess is as good as mine. But I'd bet all my money that he's going to try to change her mind… and you know who I mean," Jimmy said.

"Then we'd better go home now. I don't want to get caught in the middle of warfare," Cody added with a sneer.

"I thought that's where you're heading tomorrow," Buck remarked pointedly.

"Buck, my friend," the blonde rider said, patting the Indian fellow on the back, "that's nothing compared to what Kid's about to face now as we all know what a dangerous character Louise has. Poor fella won't get out of there alive."

The three riders started chuckling, and Rachel found herself joining in their mirth. The feelings emanating inside her were bitter-sweet. She was going to miss the riders' easy banter from now on. Cody could sometimes be a bit too much for anybody's patience, but his special humor managed to join them together and release some tension when things got too strained in the bunkhouse. She was sure going to miss him terribly in the same way she would miss any of the other three if they decided to fly their nest someday. Life was undoubtedly a bitter pill to swallow.

Louise lay curled up in her bed, her delicate nightgown draped around her petite figure and her wet dark hair spread all over the white pillow. The room was silent except for the soft sniffs and sobs coming from her mouth as she cried her eyes out. She had taken a bath as soon as she had returned from Tompkins and had stayed in bed since then. She was feeling very miserable as she realized how final her situation with Kid was. Soon she'd be leaving Rock Creek, and the Southerner would just be a memory to keep in her heart.

A loud knock at the door snapped her out of her grim reverie, and she was first tempted to stay in bed and ignore the call. It must be Mrs. Lewis, her landlady, coming to claim this week's rent. She didn't feel like talking to the loquacious woman or hear her unending accounts about her tedious husband. A second knock told her that the lady wouldn't go till she answered the door. Some of her gossipy neighbors must have seen her enter her rooms and had probably told Mrs. Lewis that she was in. With a sigh Louise got up from bed, wiping her eyes furiously. Stopping in front of her mirror to check her tear-streaked face, she realized that she wouldn't be able to hide her red puffy eyes from anybody's curiosity.

Lou shuffled towards the door, and when she opened it to a crack, she was surprised to find Kid on the other side. They stared at each other for a few seconds in the darkened landing and then Louise said in a gruff and irritated voice, "What do you want, Kid?"

"May I come in?" he asked instead of answering her question straightaway.

Lou hesitated for a moment, wanting to avoid the confrontation she knew was coming, but his pleading eyes tugged at her heart, and she finally pushed the door wide open and let him step inside. When he closed it behind him she suddenly felt very self-conscious just in his company in the middle of her room and just clad in her nightgown. Realizing her immodest attire, she turned round and grabbing a dressing gown, she quickly tied it around her body.

The rider had instantly noticed her clothing; he had never seen her dressed like that before and in the brief moment before she covered herself, he had time to see how lovely she looked. Reproachable thoughts crept into his mind, and he had to shush them away, feeling that this wasn't the time to entertain that kind of ideas about Lou. Light poring through the window made all her features clear to his eyes, and when he lifted his gaze to her face, he instantly noticed her swollen eyes. "You've been crying?" the question came out as a firm statement.

"What do you want, Kid?" she repeated in the same curt tone, not having the slightest intention to discuss the reasons why she had been weeping with him.

Kid knew that she wasn't going to tell him why she was upset and decided to tackle the matter he had come here for in the first place. "Tompkins told the boys you're leaving Rock Creek. Is that true?" he managed to ask.

"Not that it ain't any of your concern, but yes, it's true," she answered, trying to sound as detached and unaffected as possible.

"Please Lou, don't go," he exclaimed, almost begging with her.

"What?"

"Please, Lou, stay in Rock Creek. Please."

The urge in his voice surprised her and Lou sent him a confused stare while she asked, "What is it to you whether I stay or go anyway?"

"Lou…. if you go … I … I won't be able to win you back," Kid muttered in a miserable voice. This was his last chance with Louise, and if he blundered this opportunity, he knew he would have lost her forever. At his words Lou was speechless by the sincerity she heard and had to remind herself of what she had seen this morning. She couldn't give way because of a bunch of sweet words. It had happened when she had read his letters, and she wasn't letting him fool her again with his sweet-talk. "Well… that wouldn't be an issue right now… if … well… if you had made other choices."

"I never wanted to hurt you, Lou, honestly. I was just a fool. You're the most important person in my life. I love you, and there's nobody else. Nobody else at all… You have to believe me… You're the only one."

"Kid, I…"

"Lou, please," the rider broke in, feeling that he was fighting to save his life because if he lost her, he wouldn't care about anything else. "Stay with me, but if you don't want to… then I'll go wherever you go. My place is just where you are."

"You're crazy!"

"Yes, crazy for you," Kid admitted, and in a daring movement he reached for her hand and squeezed it between his. "Lou, you can't imagine how these past weeks had been for me. I can't eat, I can't sleep, I can't work, I can't do anything. I'm simply going nuts without you."

Louise then lowered her eyes and admitted in a very soft voice too, "Me too."

The rider put his finger under her chin and lifted her face to him. Her eyes kept looking at him with unshed tears and his hands came to cup her head tenderly. "So Lou, if you feel bad, and I feel bad. Why can't we at least suffer together?"

At his words Lou couldn't control herself any longer and burst out sobbing and buried her face in her hands. "Oh Lou," Kid croaked as he drew her against his chest while his arms wrapped around her trembling body. "I'm so, so sorry," he continued softly in her ear. "I've been such a fool. I know I hurt you… terribly, but I never meant to, never. I'd rather die than harm you, and I promise that I won't let you down again." He felt her sobs subside and her body relax in his hold. "What I wrote in those letters is what I really feel about you. There's nobody and will be nobody who can hold a candle to you in my heart. If you let me try again, you won't regret it. I'd do anything to make you as happy as you deserve. Please, Lou, let me make you happy."

Louise lifted her tear-streaked face to him, and they kept staring at each other till Lou pushed herself on her tiptoes and crashed her lips against his. The two long weeks of pent-up emotions were suddenly released as their mouths hungrily searched to get reacquainted with each other. They were in such an urge to taste, touch and kiss the other that they couldn't get enough. Their arms struggled to keep as close as possible as if they wanted to notice each tiny fiber of their bodies.

Lou was totally lost in their sultry kiss and could feel Kid touching her everywhere in her lips, in her back, in her hair, in her face and somehow it just wasn't enough. This wasn't like one of their other kisses. Maybe it was because of these weeks' apart, how emotional they had gotten or simply it was the way they felt right now. Kid was like a ravenous animal who had finally found the place to satisfy its appetite. He wasn't soft or sweet like usual but strong and demanding, and Lou found herself enjoying this new side of him.

Suddenly, she felt his hand slid between their bodies and fumbling to untie the belt of her dressing gown while they continued kissing passionately. After several attempts, Lou could feel his frustration with the task, so breaking the kiss much to his chagrin, she decided to give him a hand and untie the knot herself, and with a subtle push the garment slid down her shoulders and dropped on the floor. Kid avidly looked at her with wide eyes, enjoying the view he had hardly got a glimpse of minutes ago. The white nightgown draped her dainty body delicately, and Kid felt that he would never forget the image of her in the nightgown however many years he lived. Lou felt her cheeks flush by his shameless scrutiny, but at the same time a warmth spread through all of her as his eyes hungrily ogled her.

Louise smiled coyly, and without a second thought she grabbed his hand and led him towards the big bed in the middle of the room. This gesture finally managed to snap Kid out of his almost daydreaming state her intoxicating kisses and presence had sent him to, and he tried to stop her clear intentions. "Lou … no… I don't think that's …" he stuttered incoherently.

The girl felt instantly hurt by his obvious refusal and turning her disappointed eyes to him she muttered, "What is it? I thought you wanted to be with me."

"I do, but not in that way," he blurted out and when he noticed the pain in her countenance, he hurried to mend what his clumsy mouth had botched. "I mean … I want you in that way too… but not now ... well… I do now but …" Argg! He wanted to cry. Why was it so difficult to talk to her about this? He started to chuckle at his clumsiness and bringing his hand to caress her cheek, he said, "Lou, I want you in any possible way, but I don't want to rush you into something that you might regret later."

Louise had to smile at his thoughtfulness and planting a kiss on his lips, she added, "You ain't rushing me, Kid. I want this, I want to share this with you."

"You sure?" he asked again.

Lou nodded energetically and almost yelped as his arms lifted her up till his eyes met hers at the same level. The girl wrapped her arms around his neck for support and soon his mouth came to cover hers in a long, soft and hot kiss. They took their sweet time to taste their lips, this time very slowly, wanting to relish all the sensations emanating through them. Without breaking the kiss, Lou felt him lower her body onto the bed while their mouths continued their loving rhythm. After a few minutes, Kid broke away and resting his forehead against hers, he let out, breathless after the kiss, "God, Lou, I missed you so much. I never feel as safe as when I am with you. It's as if you were home."

Lou smiled at his words and with her eyes twinkling with mischief, she whispered huskily in his ear, "Then come home, cowboy." Instantly his lips covered hers again, engaging them in a new dance while they started to explore new realms in their love on the mend.