Ó Starbright 1999

Chapter 3

"Lou?" Kid was already running back to the door when Lou stepped down the stairs. "You okay?"

"Fine Kid," she muttered angrily at having shown him how shaken she had been. That would only fuel his protectiveness and his conviction that she was unable to take care of herself. She'd show him alright; peering angrily in his direction she collected herself. But when he took a hold of her elbow she wanted to lay her head on his shoulder and be wrapped up in his arms. Angrily she shook herself loose.

"Why'd you run out for?" she asked Ike that had appeared behind Kid.

You mean you didn't hear what the man said, Ike asked surprised.

Lou turned her gaze to the ground, feeling ashamed. She had heard it but she just couldn't believe that Pastor Allen had meant it the way it sounded. "Ike I don't think he meant you!"

Whoever he was talking about it was wrong, I thought you knew that.

Lou's eyes went to Kid to have him help her explain. Kid looked to the ground to avoid her gaze. Lou turned her eyes back to Ike. "Don't go judging a man on appearances only Ike, I thought you knew that!"

Kid looked steadily at her. Stepping up in front of her, he smiled. "I'd take your own advice if I were you Lou," he told her in a soft voice before he turned and walked to the horses. Lou was left searching for words to shut him up. To her dismay she found none. Tucking her hands into her pockets she mumbled a curse to his back. Ike stepped up and laid an arm over her shoulders.

Got you, didn't he? he signed and dragged her to the buckboard.

"Sometimes I really hate him!" Lou wheezed.

I can tell, Ike answered and shook of laughter.

If Ike had been able to scream he would have. Lou and Kid were sitting on opposite ends of the buckboard, carefully avoiding to let the other one see when they cast murdering glances at each other. Everytime Ike tried to get their attention away by starting a conversation they answered him in monosyllabic grunts, only to return to a mutual war of feigned noncommittal behavior. Ike was ready to burst by the time the door opened and people started to come out of the church. All three of them jumped to their feet, immensely glad to see the rest walking to join their somber group.

"Where'd you all go?" Cody yelled as he approached them, "it was a good sermon, you should have been there to the end."

"Too crowded," Lou rebutted with a pointed glance at the Kid.

"The end didn't come soon enough," Kid stated while answering the glare.

Ike was ready to kill them both at this time. Let's go home before I do something I will surely regret, he signed, Buck and Noah will be back soon.

"Something happen?" Jimmy asked as he climbed into the wagon. Ike threw an accusatory glance over the shoulder in Kid's and Lou's direction before he threw his hands up in the air. Despair written all over his face.

"I see," Jimmy sighed, "it'll blow over, give'm time."

Ike just rolled his eyes. Jimmy patted his shoulder comfortingly.

Jimmy, who is this man? Ike signed.

"Pastor Allen you mean?"

Ike nodded.

"He's..well..he's the leader of this congregation, that's really all I know." Jimmy had started out enthusiastically but all of a sudden he realized he knew next to nothing about the man. "Why you wanna know?"

He just said some things that didn't seem right to me, Ike signed without explaining further.

"Said something? Ike, I don't get it, what things?" Jimmy urged.

"Jimmy, were you even listening?" Kid asked from the other side of the buckboard.

Lou laughed sarcastically, "I'm sure he listened more than you did, Kid" she snorted at him. Remembering to at least act like they still were friends she modulated her voice into an overly sweet one when she added; "you being so far in the back an' all."

"That's right Lou, I forgot that it's the distance that's important. The closer the better, I forgot all about that...Louise! Next time I'll try to get real close to the pastor so I can really enjoy the crap." Kid spoke in the same feigned noncommittal tone of voice. Like they both were discussing when to shoe their horses.

"Shut up!" Cody yelled from his place aside Rachel. "Kid, the pastor is a good man, don't you ever say that his sermons are crap, you didn't even listen!"

Kid turned his face to Cody; "He said Ike was possessed! Cody, that's crap to me, whoever says it!"

Cody watched the Kid over his shoulder. "Kid what are you talking about, he said nothing about Ike. Did you hit your head or something? He performed miracles in there, a deaf boy got his hearing back and the old Wilder-widow said her leg ache got all better."

"That boy was never deaf to begin with," Kid pointed out.

"How can you tell Kid?" Jimmy asked, annoyed at his friend's accusations. Kid was usually ready to see the good in people, he wondered what Kid saw in pastor Allen that made him ready to so promptly dismiss his work.

Kid turned his eyes to Jimmy and saw the doubt on his face. Not ready to start another debate with Jimmy he silenced himself, better let sleeping dogs lie instead of getting into another row with Jimmy. God knows there had been enough of those during these past weeks. "Just know," he said, diverting his eyes to the plain.

"Oh Kid always knows everything," Lou stated with a sweet voice covering her irritation, "he's always right, thought you all knew that by now."

He is, Ike signed, feeling he had to step in.

"Don't you start too," Cody spat out, having caught the signs, "I bet my life on pastor Allen's integrity, he takes care of all these young pregnant girls that have been abandoned by everybody else. He needs all the help he can get in his pursuit and I intend to give it to him!"

"Yes, well, did you have to give him all the money?" Rachel moaned, "you could have given him your own, taking the money I owed Thompkin's was too much. I'm gonna take the three dollars out of your pay Cody."

"Three dollars, Cody? You gave the man three dollars? Hell, you owe me two since a month!" Kid growled. "When am I gonna see the two dollars back in my pocket where they rightly belong?"

Cody turned to look at the Kid. "Well you ain't got no unwed mothers on your responsibility!" Glancing briefly at Lou Cody continued; "Not yet that is. When that happens I'll give you a dollar for every unwed mother that turns up on the bunkhouse porch."

Kid took a lunge at Cody, Ike had seen what was coming so he had time to throw himself at the Kid, stopping him from knocking Cody off the seat. Lou's widened eyes were glued to Cody's back. Jimmy noticed her lips moving without a sound coming out.

Rachel turned to calm them all down. With a raised hand she warned them to stay put. Looking sternly at each of them in turn. She raised a warning finger as her eyes landed on Kid. He finally settled down and Ike dared loosen his grip on him.
"I see going to church did you all a world of good," Rachel declared sarcastically before turning back to face the road ahead.

Lou's hand had gripped Jimmy's sleeve hard. Prying her fingers loose Jimmy followed her stare. Lou was looking at the Kid with a mixture of disbelief and shock. Jimmy realized what she was thinking. He had to explain everything to her as soon as they got back. Kid never "danced" with Samantha, Jimmy knew that much. Lou didn't and Jimmy could tell that the suspicion was killing her. He sighed as he understood that a word, thrown out into the air with intent of hurting one, could destroy everything for another in just one puff of air. Just as effectively as he had destroyed Alice's life by just showing up. Jimmy's head sank down as the image of Alice emerged before his eyes. Forgive me, he said silently to the lady that had left the world, only to have it crumble down on his shoulder.

Jimmy sat on the bunkhouse porch awaiting Buck and Noah's arrival. The trip home had been an uncomfortable one. As soon as Rachel stopped the buckboard near the barn everybody leapt down to walk their separate ways. Jimmy had no chance to talk to Lou, she escaped to the barn, barely avoiding crashing into the Kid that had the same goal. They remain staring at each other for a brief moment before Kid turned and walked to the bunkhouse. Jimmy caught up with Lou as Cody walked into the barn. Sighing he walked back out, talking to Lou with Cody listening was out of the question.

Jimmy found it best to place himself on the bunkhouse porch, awaiting the mood to change. Both his and the others'. Alice kept haunting him, he wondered what could have been if things had been different. If Alice had been another, would he have loved her just the same? If he had been another, would he have been able to stay at her side? He had cleaned his guns twice before Ike turned up with the horses. Jimmy rose to help Ike. Taking Katy's rein he walked to her side to tighten the girth. Lou came strolling around the corner when Kid stepped out of the bunkhouse. Without a word the two acknowledged the other's existence and continued their feigned disregard.

"Thanks Ike," Kid said as he walked up to Katy.

Ike watched the three of them, wondering who would get on each others throat and who would side with whom. A dustcloud was forming on the horizon and Ike exhaled in relief, they'd be out of here before all hell broke loose.

"Kid!" Jimmy started, wanting to excuse himself, knowing he had acted like a deranged person around the Kid at times. But the fact that Kid and Lou had broke it off disturbed him in a way he couldn't explain. They had each other and just couldn't hang on. Knowing that with Kid it was either black or white, he guessed that had something to do with the brake-up. If Alice had been around he would have hanged on for dear life, his friend just let Lou go and that made him angry. And automatically he had sided with Lou and that meant he'd lashed out at the Kid without any real cause at several times this past week. Kid was still his friend and he hated the thought of losing the friendship. He had lost so much already.

"Huh?" Kid asked without looking at him.

"Be careful, there's a Shoshoni war-party out there."

"I know," Kid nodded and reached out a hand to check Katy's girth. "That's why the company is sending two riders Jimmy, If I don't make it, Ike will."

Jimmy threw a glance at Lou standing on the porch. He wasn't sure if Kid said that on purpose or not. Lou had gotten pale. "Just see to it you both make it, will you Kid!"

Kid finally looked at him, seeing the sincerity on Jimmy's face he nodded."Sure I will. You just keep things under control back here," he smiled.

Jimmy tapped his shoulder, trying to assure him he would. "Sure Kid, I'll do everything in my power but with Cody around..." Jimmy let his voice trail off and shook his head in mock despair.

"I ain't asking for miracles Jimmy," Kid chuckled while he mounted Katy.

"He's just asking you to save the world from the puny ones," Lou bitterly let out from the porch. She wanted to bite her tongue off in the same instance the words left it. She hadn't intended to say that, she just wished she could be as easy around the Kid as Jimmy was. She wanted to be able to josh around with the Kid without being on guard every step of the road. Jimmy and Kid had been at each others throats for a week and then all of a sudden it was like nothing had happened. How did they do it?
Jimmy groaned inwardly as Kid's eyes narrowed. Casting a warning glance in Lou's direction Jimmy begged her to keep quiet. Her face had become sad all of a sudden and Jimmy realized she had spoken the words without thinking. She probably wanted to say something else all together.

Noah and Buck stormed up close and Kid gathered the reins. "Yeah Jimmy, look out for the puny ones," he said before he followed Ike towards the returning riders. Buck threw the poach at Ike with a big grin, yelling at him to take care.

"Ride safe!" Lou hollered from the porch. Kid turned his head and looked at Lou, Jimmy could have sworn he smiled. Then he lifted a hand in a salute and Lou answered with a wave that Kid never saw since Ike picked up speed and forced Kid to follow.

Breathlessly Noah flung himself off the horse handing the reins to Lou's outstretched hand. "What's up?" he said with a grin. "Dinner ready yet?"

"Any problems?" Lou wanted to know.

"Naw," Buck said seating himself on the porch, "just the usual war-party chasing us back home, I swear they're chasing us just for the fun of it."

"Well I ain't ever stoppin' to find out," Noah grunted flinging himself down at Buck side.

"Neither am I," Buck assured him.

Lou stared at the two for a while before she abruptly turned and dragged the horses to the barn for Cody to take care of. Noah followed her stride with a bewildered face. "What's wrong?" he asked Jimmy.

"Do you have to ask?" Jimmy growled and followed the girl.

"I just love coming home," Noah sighed, "it's always so calm and peaceful around here."

Buck just had to laugh.