Chapter 11

The item she was carrying was just a bundle of catalogs for Thompson's store. She bristled a little at the idea that Teaspoon gave her such an inconsequential job on purpose. It was petulant of her, but she took her time on her way back to Rock Creek. She slowed her horse to a walk as they passed through a particularly pretty part of the trail. She was admiring the way the trees formed a canopy over the dirt road when she spotted someone walking along the trail. As she got closer she realized it was a boy about her size. He looked dejected.

Lou pulled her horse up to the young man. "Is everything alright?"

"Nothing a horse wouldn't fix."

"Where ya headed?"

"That way," he answered gruffly, pointing along the direction of the trail.

"Nothing ahead of you but Rock Creek."

"Well then I guess that's where I'm headed."

He was rude and, Lou could tell, hurting. She only hesitated for a few seconds before offering him a ride. She stretched out a hand to help him on behind her and was surprised when instead of accepting her offer, he pulled her down off her horse. He went to take her place in the saddle but she grabbed him from behind and shoved him away from the horse, causing him to take a tumble down the hill. She stumbled after him and before she knew it, they were wrestling in the dirt. She'd never hear the end of it if she let some boy steal her horse and she had to walk back to Rock Creek.

He'd just about gotten the upper-hand as he pinned her to the ground but the slight swell of her breasts became visible as her vest fell to the side and the boy scrambled off of her. "You're a girl!"

Jimmy and Kid sat on the bunkhouse porch staring off into the horizon. The sun was low in the sky. In another couple hours, it would sink below the horizon and it would be dark.

"Well, at least their talking." Cody commented as he and Buck watched from the corral.

"Not so much talking as worrying together. Lou was due back a couple hours ago." The two men exchanged nervous glances. They were all anxious about Lou being out there alone. None of them would say that to her face though.

"There she is!" Cody jumped down from the fence and pointed towards town, rather than from the way she'd rode off in the morning. "Who's that with her?"

Lou stopped in front of the barn and let Jesse down before she hopped off next to him. He took a look around the station yard and saw four men looking right at him. "They ain't gonna beat me up for jumping you, are they?"

"Not unless I tell them to." She saw Kid and Jimmy approaching from the house while Buck and Cody hung back at the corral. "Go on in the barn and take care of my horse while I handle this. And don't steal 'em!"

"Yes, ma'am," he told her, ducking his head and leading the gelding towards the stalls.

"Eventful ride?" Jimmy asked.

"You could say that." Her head tilted toward the barn. "That's Jesse. He was staying with Dr. Woodson a few miles outside of town. He found him dead earlier today, killed. We just came from talking to Teaspoon. He told Jesse he could stay here."

"How'd you run into him?" Kid asked.

"He tried to steal my horse."

"And you gave him a ride?" Jimmy questioned her.

She shrugged. "Seemed like a kid in trouble is all. Come on, I'll introduce you."

Jesse was brushing down the pretty Appaloosa when Lou came into the barn, four men trailing behind her. She seemed about a foot shorter than all of them and he couldn't help but laugh.

"What's so funny?" she demanded.

"You all really thought she was a boy? She's half your size."

"Same size as you." Jimmy told him. "You a girl?"

"Alright that's enough." Lou stepped between Jesse and the other men. "Boys, this is Jesse. Jesse this is Jimmy, Kid, Buck, and Cody. Jesse's gonna be staying with us for a while. Maybe you can show him around?" She looked pleadingly at her fellow riders.

"Come on then," Cody offered. "We'll show you where you can put your stuff and get washed up before dinner." He threw an arm around Jesse and led him out of the barn. "So around here the things you gotta know are…"

Kid shook his head, feeling a genuine smile spread across his face. "We should go after them before Cody fills that boy's head with a bunch of nonsense." He and Buck followed after them while Lou and Jimmy lingered by the stalls.

"Orphans wanted, huh?"

"Didn't seem right to just leave him."

"Guess I'm lucky you got a soft spot for troubled young men."

"You feeling troubled?"

"Not no more," he assured her as he pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her small frame. "I missed you."

"I wasn't even gone a day, Jimmy."

"Well, it felt like a month."

Lou sighed and let herself sink deeper into his embrace. "I missed you too. Saw you and Kid sitting together."

"Yeah, we're working things out."

"Not gonna take up his habit of fretting over me, I hope."

"As long as you don't make a habit of bringing home strange men."

She pretended to ponder his suggestion. "It does get lonely on the trail."

"You little…" He pulled her away from his chest just enough to look her in the eye. "Must I remind you that you are my woman?" He pulled her close and kissed her on the mouth before trailing delicate kisses down the side of her neck. "Any urges you feel out on the trail, you best bring home to me. I'm more than willing to oblige."

"Well then, tonight, after dinner?"

Jimmy pulled her collar aside in an attempt to get more of her neck and was met with layers of cotton and vest and long-johns. "Tonight after dinner," he agreed. "Wear less."

"Less what?"

"Clothes woman! What you think I meant?"

At dinner Jesse told them of how he'd heard shots and found Doc's body. He'd seen four men ride off but he'd never seen their faces. "I'll ride out there tomorrow. See what I can find, collect the doctor," Teaspoon gently squeezed Jesse's shoulder as he mentioned bringing the Doc's body to Rock Creek to be buried.

"I'll go with you."

Teaspoon eyed Jimmy up and down. "You sure you're ready?"

"I can ride, Teaspoon. You let Lou go yesterday."

"Lou didn't have three broken ribs."

At the mention of Jimmy's injury, Lou looked down at her plate, a doleful expression crossing her face. Ever aware of Lou's countenance, Jimmy placed his hand on her delicate shoulder and softly spoke, "that ain't your fault so don't even think it." His hand slipped from Lou's shoulder and down her back before he brought it back to the table. "I can ride, Teaspoon."

By the end of dinner, it was agreed. Teaspoon would ride out in the morning with Jimmy and Jesse.

"It was nice of Teaspoon to let Jesse stay in the tack room with 'em," Jimmy mentioned to Lou, slipping and arm around her shoulder. They took their time walking away from the station, in no particular direction. The sun set a few hours ago but a full moon provided plenty of light.

Lou agreed, it was a kind thing for the marshal to do. "Sometimes I wonder, how things mighta been different if someone like Teaspoon took me in back then, and not…you know."

He pulled her closer. "Jesse was lucky that you found him on that trail. I'm lucky," he added, halting his walking and turning her to face him. "But I'd give you up if it meant you didn't have to go through that pain."

She shook her head and stretched up to kiss him. "That's not what I want, Jimmy. I don't want to give you up." She kissed him again, deeper this time, her fingers curling into his long hair. She didn't stop kissing him until she felt him growing against her belly.

He pulled back. "I know what I said earlier, but we don't have to, not if you don't want."

"I want." Her voice was breathy. "Oh, Jimmy. I want."

They made their bed of discarded clothes and soft grass. Their naked skin glistened in the moonlight as Lou rode Jimmy like her life depended on it. She felt like it did. His hands grasped the flesh of her thighs encouragingly as she ground herself against him. This feeling was new to her, that there was absolutely nothing between them. They were as close as two people could be. She couldn't take her eyes from his, wanting to see inside him like she felt him inside herself now.

His hands crept to her waist and up her body. She moaned as his rough hands roamed over her. God, how could she have ever gone without this? Without him? No longer able to stand even the night air between them, she collapsed on top of him, her breasts smashing into his chest, her mouth demanding his. Strong, muscular arms encased her and he kissed her with the same need, the same urgency.

She gasped, breaking her mouth away from his, crying out his name. He held her tighter as she started to cum. He cried out with her as the contractions of her orgasm sent him careening to his own climax. They were a mess of hands digging into each other's flesh, heavy breathing, and beating hearts. He felt her body tense one last time before slumping into him. For a long time he held her, feeling the erratic pumping of their hearts, not knowing where he ended and she began.

He was on the verge of falling asleep when he felt Lou nuzzle his neck, whispering words of love against his ear. He responded with his own declarations. "Do you have any idea how completely I love you?" he asked, staring up at the multitude of stars painting the night sky. "You're it for me. Forever. You know that, right?"