Winds of Change
Chapter 2
The day they had all been dreading finally came, the pony express was over; Buck had taken the last run out of Rock Creek almost 2 weeks ago and Jimmy and Cody are both gone. Cody left about 3 weeks ago to scout for the Army and Jimmy left right after Bucks last run to ride with the abolitionists and that just left Buck and Kid along with Lou and Rachel to take care of the former station house. No decision had been made as to what was going to happen to the station house. Most of the way stations were owned by private citizens and leased out by Russell, Majors & Waddell, like it was with Emma's place in Sweetwater. The Rock Creek Station was one of only a few stations owned by the company but they hadn't decided what to do with those properties and that included the horses. Teaspoon had been negotiating with the company to purchase some of the horses and the property but in the meantime the stock still needed tending and the company was willing to pay them to maintain the Rock Creek property at least for a little while longer and as the other stations closed down and returned to private ownership the horses owned by the Russell, Majors & Waddell came to Rock Creek and it took all 3 former riders to take care of them.
"Lou you doing ok over there, that's a lot of grunting and groaning?' Buck asked. They were cleaning the barn getting it ready for more horses due in tomorrow. Kid rode out two days ago to Warm Springs and Spilt Rock swing stations to pick up the few horses left there. Lou was clearing out the stalls in the back that had been used for storage; now they would be needed to house the extra horses.
"I'm fine Buck, but you could help me move this crate." Buck knelt behind the crate "Ok Lou on three, 1 2 3" they picked up the crate and carried it outside. They had been working all day and Needing a break Lou sat down on the crate.
"Water Lou?" Buck offering Lou his canteen Lou nodded and took a long sip of water. She looked up at Buck, "Something on your mind Buck? You been looking at me crooked all morning."
"Sorry Lou just wondered about you. I know it's been hard, all the changes, Cody and Jimmy leaving, you getting married and the express no longer in business. But the last 2 days you seem more like your old self"
Lou smiled "I guess I coming to grips with it all. But that ain't all is it Buck?"
"No there's something else I need to say" Buck starts walking back into the barn. Lou with a frown on her face follows him "What Buck?"
Buck goes back to mucking the stalls "I just wanted to tell you well, we're family Lou, you're my sister and well…."
"Spit it out Buck" Lou said smiling leaning against the stall. Buck turns and looks at Lou "We're family and I care about you so I feel like I should say something. I heard you and Kid the other night. You were arguing out here and well I couldn't help but hear you two and I heard my name."
Lou sighed as her face fell "Sorry about that Buck" Lou looked away "Kid's fretting over the war and wanting to go to Virginia and fight and it's making him cranky and now Teaspoon asked him to stay on for a little longer. I guess he's just getting frustrated being here and knowing I don't want to go. And now with Jimmy gone he's gotta put his ridiculous jealousy somewhere and well, here you are. I am sorry Buck."
"Lou, he thinks we're, me and you…. And truth is you and Jimmy were pretty close, we all wondered about you two, so Kid's jealousy might have had some ground. But me and you, I don't get that." Buck watches Lou's face harden into anger, he puts his hands on her shoulders "I'm sorry Lou, I shouldn't have said that. I know, we all knew …that you and Jimmy didn't… wouldn't… Oh hell Lou I am messing this up. Look that fight sounded rough and I felt like I should have broken it up, but you lit outta there before I could. All I want you to know is I care about you, you're my sister and if you need anything you can come to me. I know you used to talk to Jimmy a lot and I know you miss him but you can come to me or if not me at least talk to Rachel."
Lou looked at Buck and smiled it was nice to know she would have someone to talk to if she needed it. "I do miss Jimmy you're right, as for Kid he don't really think anythin' is going on with us he just can't stand it that I'd rather work in the barn than in the house. I don't know that I will ever be that woman Buck." Walking out of the barn and over to the corral "This is where I belong, out here with them" she said nodding at the horses.
"It ain't that I don't want to be married and have a family, I do, but why do I have to give up so much to get that life. Why can't I just be me, do what I love and what I'm good at and still have a family." Lou started walking towards the bunk house. "I don't want to be stuck in the house, I want to ride! I don't want to be wrapped in cotton I want to feel the wind in my hair and the rain on my face." She and Buck sat on the steps to the bunkhouse.
"Lou you're a unique woman that's for sure. It's probably why all of us had a crush on you at one time or another. But Kid has a different set of what's right and wrong and to tell you the truth I guess we all do. I don't know if there's any man that you could marry who wouldn't want you to be more 'ladylike'…Now don't go getting all mad, what I mean is look around there aren't a whole lot of mother's and wives that ride as well as you do, and none of them can shoot, but they don't have your heart or your strength either. Ask any of us boys and we'll tell you we'd rather have you covering our backs than a dozen other women in the kitchen. Life with you will never be dull. Kid just don't see that yet."
"I don't know what I'm gonna do, he don't want to leave, to ride on without me but I sure as hell ain't going to fight for the rebels and If I don't go with him then what do I do." Lou slowly shakes her head "I need to work; I need to get Jeremiah and Teresa. I don't know…..just don't know." Buck put his arm around his sister of the heart, they sat like that for a while watching the shadows growing longer, Lou soaking up the strength Buck was offering when they heard horses coming.
Kid came riding to the station house, He had ridden hard to get home a day early with the horses. Eight in all, real fine horses Kid thought and he hoped Teaspoon was going to get to keep them. Of course it will mean more work for Buck, especially with he and Lou leaving. As Kid rode up he saw Lou and Buck sitting on the bunk house steps, they stood up when they heard him riding in but he had seen them sitting close and that Buck had has his arm around Lou.
"Hey Kid welcome home" Lou said smiling at her husband.
"Those all the horse they had left" Buck asked "Yea" Kid said.
Lou stepped up to Katy, Kids horse, as he dismounted, "Well let's get them to the corral, Buck you take those four and I'll take these and Kid I'll take your horse, Rachel left some food on the stove in the house. You must be starved; I'll be in as soon I get the horses put up."
"I'll help with the horses" Kid said, eyeing Buck and Lou. Lou just rolled her eyes "Suit yourself" as they walked the horses to the barn.
...
"Lou I already waited long enough. I told Teaspoon today that we were leaving by the end of the week. Well at least I was. You know folks are talking like the war won't last forever, over by spring they say in the papers. It's November if we don't leave soon the cold weather will make it take twice as long to get there." Kid said looking at Lou from across the barn.
He walked over to her and reached out and gently touched her arm "Lou I don't want to ride on without you, I want you and I need you by my side. You're my wife, my friend, you're my family"
"Kid you got family here! Teaspoon, Rachel, Buck, Cody even Jimmy is more family than you got in Virginia. And they are the only family I have except for Jeremiah and Teresa and this is where I want to make a home for them."
Kid began pacing the barn, trying not to get more agitated at Lou's stubbornness. "We'll make a home for them in Virginia and if we can, we can come back here someday but I ain't promising anything. You're my wife and a wife does what her husband says. Follows him, lets him lead." Kid stops pacing, he grabs Lou by the arms, his voice is harsh, his temper getting away from him. "The husband is the man of the house, a good wife lets him lead" he pulls her close, so she has to stand on her toes, his breath hot on her face "and all you've done is fight me! Stop fighting me. I gotta do what's right and going to Virginia is right."
Through her shock and fear Lou finds her voice "Right for who? You? Me? Virginia? There ain't anything right about this war." Lou struggles to free herself from Kid's grasp, "Noah's DEAD" she screams "Our family is split down the middle; you and me, we're spilt down the middle." Lou struggles to break free from his hand.
"You're going with me. That's final" Kid says as he releases his hold on Lou and with the momentum of her trying to free herself she stumbles and plunges back against the stall behind her. Lou Lets out a gasp as Kid reaches for her but its too late, Lou hits the wall hard. "oooh Kid" she cries "the wall, Kid my back." Kid runs to her as Rachel is coming through the door.
"Kid what the hell are you doing?" Rachel yells. As she enters the barn she sees what she thinks is a romantic encounter between the newlyweds, but as she looks closer she sees fear and pain in Lou's face. Hearing Lou yell, Rachel rushes in and pushes Kid back, Lou falls to the ground. Rachel runs to her and pulls Lou close. "Tell me what the hell is going on?" Rachel yells looking up at Kid.
"Nothing Rachel" Lou says with a pained expression on her face as she struggles to get up "just the same old argument and well I tripped is all."
Rachel reaches behind Lou and helps her up, feeling something wet and sticky on the back of her shirt Rachel quickly turns Lou around, she and Kid see Lou's torn shirt and blood soaking through it, looking at the wall Kid sees a nail sticking out Lou must of hit it when, when he…..Kid hangs his head "Oh God Lou" he says as he reaches for her but Rachel puts her hand up to stop him "Kid, stay right there, I'm taking her to the house, I suggest you calm down and give some thought as to what your gonna tell Teaspoon to keep him from killing you where you stand."
"Lou, Lou honey I'm sorry" kid calls as she and Rachel head to the house.
"Rachel it ain't a big deal," Lou says as Rachel cleans the wound the nail made on her shoulder. The nail had punctured deep into the shoulder and then tore the skin as Lou slumped to the ground "we are both just too stubborn. He's hot tempered and self-righteous and I know I can be pig headed. Please Rachel let it go, Kid didn't mean it."
"Lou, you have to tell me if anything like this has happened before. I know you can take care of yourself, Lord knows we all know you can, but this is different."
Lou shakes her head, "no, nothing like this, it's like I said…." The door opens and Teaspoon comes in "Rachel darlin' I am a hungry man looking for Lunch wha…...Oh sorry Lou, aahh Louise" Teaspoon sees Lou sitting at the kitchen table undressed from the waist up holding a towel in front of her and Rachel obviously doctoring her back, he turns his back to the pair "What happened Lou?"
"Nothing Teaspoon" Lou says at the same moment Rachel says "She and Kid had a fight"
Teaspoon turns back around sharply not caring a damn for proprieties "How'd you get hurt Lou?" Teaspoon asked trying not to jump to conclusions.
Lou looks back at Rachel with pleading in her eyes. "It was just a misunderstanding, we were in the barn and I stumbled against the wall and scratched myself on a nail" Lou emphasizes the last part. Teaspoon walked behind Lou, it looked like more than just a 'scratch' on her back and Rachel gives him a telling look, points to Lou's arms and tilting her head towards the door, Teaspoon breaths out sharply and quickly heads outside.
"Teaspoon, please" Lou calls running after him. "It was an accident, I swear."
"I would like to hear that from him" he hollers as he heads for the barn.
"Louise" Rachel calls from the door as Lou tries following him "Get in here I need to finish tending to your back and you aren't dressed to be out here." Lou realizes she is still holding just the towel in front of her and turns to run back into the house.
Buck and Cody were eating lunch and talking in the bunkhouse. Cody was home for a few days, mostly for Rachel's good cooking lord knows the food ain't the reason someone joins the army, but also he missed his family. When they hear hollering coming from Rachel's house they step outside and hear Lou call from the house, "Teaspoon Please…." Teaspoon comes out of the house moving like a man on a mission "I would like to hear that from him" he calls back. They see Lou come running out on the porch just holding a towel in front of her and Rachel yelling for her to come back in…as Lou turns to go back into the house, the boys see the blood on her back, they turn and run after Teaspoon.
"Teaspoon what happened?' Asks Buck as they catch up to him just outside the barn.
"We saw Lou's back, Teaspoon tell us what happened!" Cody yells and pulls Teaspoon back by his arm.
Teaspoon spins around, grabs Cody by his shirt, Cody puts up his hands "Whoa Teaspoon!"
Teaspoon lets go of Cody "Sorry son, I Don't know all the details boys but they were fighting again" Teaspoon says as he heads for the barn "And according to Lou she 'fell' and scratched her back on a nail. Looked like a helluva lot more than a scratch" Teaspoon didn't mention the bruises on Lou's upper arms "and I aim to get to the bottom of it, either of you seen Kid?"
"I'm right here Teaspoon" Kid says leading Katy out of barn, head up, his eyes looking straight at the 3 men coming towards him.
"You son of a bitch!" Cody yells and lunges at Kid, Teaspoon stops him.
"Buck, hold him back" Teaspoon says.
"I will hold him back when I am sure Kid don't need the shit kicked out of him" Buck said not taking his eyes off Kid.
"You wanna tell me how my girl got hurt" Teaspoon says advancing.
"We were just arguing….."
"Been doing a lot of that lately" Teaspoon interrupted.
" …..and It was an accident, I swear, you know I love Lou, you all know how much I love her. I would never hurt her. We both said and did something's and well it just got outta hand."
"And yet you ain't got a scratch on you" Cody hollers as he moves closer to Kid.
"Stop everyone Stop" Lou hollers as she runs from the house, wearing a clean shirt.
"You Ok Lou" asks Buck. "I'm fine boys, Teaspoon; it really was an accident." Lou turns to Kid, "Kid go home, go back to the boarding house. I'll see you there" Kid and Lou stayed at Rachel's for a while after the wedding but Kid thought they needed their own place; Lou couldn't disagree so they moved into Mrs. Grays Boarding house more than a week ago.
Looking at Lou and rest of them standing in front of him he knew talking at this point wasn't going to do any good and it was between him and Lou anyway.
"I was just going to take Katy for a run anyway, I'll see you at home" Kid says mounting Katy.
"That works too, just get outta here" Lou's says as Kid rides out of the barn and away.
Lou sighs and turns back to the men of her family, her Brothers, Cody and Buck, two of the six men who have had her back for almost two years. They had all put their lives on the line for one another, had made sacrifices for each other, they had all lived together, rode together and they had become a family. And it was all because of one man.
Teaspoons was their surrogate father, they all looked up to him. He was the first man she ever trusted, the man who taught her that not all men were out to hurt her. And her family was looking at her with concern "Boys, Teaspoon it's ok, Kid didn't mean anything, we were just fighting and well I stumbled against the wall and hit a nail. That's all."
"Sweetheart" Teaspoon said gently "that explains the cut on your back, but not the marks on your arms" Body and Buck looked sharply at Teaspoon and back at Lou.
Lou turned looking back at the barn "I'll admit he had a hold of my arms and well I was, I mean we were… look I'm fine. Things just got out of hand. I've been told by some reliable resources that I can be pretty stubborn." Lou paused and turned back to Teaspoon "I knew we would be headed to Virginia soon but when he told me we were leaving at the end of the week I just got so mad. I ain't ready to leave you all, reckon I won't ever be ready."
Lou headed to the house to tell Rachel they were leaving by the end of the week.
Friday morning was cold and cloudy a misty rain was starting to fall. "Dreary" Teaspoon said to no one particular. He was standing on the porch, looking out beyond the horizon as if just the act of watching would bring them all back. "The family's getting smaller by the day, Cody leaving yesterday and Kid and Lou leaving this morning, if it was a bright warm sunny day it would still feel dreary" Rachel said as she wrapped her arms around the man she had grown to love. "I know you're worried about them, but they will be fine"
"Only one I'm worried about and that's our girl. The boys can take care of themselves oh I know she can too, but she's gonna take care of Kid and her brother and sister before she looks after herself. Just about broke my heart to watch them ride out. Virginia is a long ways away and them riding in to war, feels like we may not see them again." Rachel moved closer to Teaspoon and held him tight and rested her head on his shoulder. It was going to be a long cold winter.
Ok wow so that's done. The set up, the back story. Now the fun (and real work) can begin. Really, honestly, I like Kid.
I do! So tell me how much drama do you really want. Because this has 2 major diversions before merging back into the story Mr. Muse is telling me. Apparently he is leaving me to my own devices right now. Little twit…. But oodles of drama or just a smidge….
Thank you for the reviews and kudos. Please know that I have read damn near every TYR story in this site and love them all, but I usually read them on my phone and writing reviews and such with 10 thumbs is a pain. Obviously I am a Jimmy girl (if you can call a woman my age a girl), and I adore Lou, but I love all the characters and I have a plethora of stories for all of them. Just don't ask me to write about Lou and Cody hooking up…nope can't do. I have a Cody story in mind and he steps up in this one in an unexpected way. But them…together. No!
~c