Chapter 1
It was a cold morning in Rock Creek. Rachel scanned the empty street
in front of her. Seemed like it was going to snow anytime now. She
sighed as she realized it wouldn't lift the mood in the bunkhouse.
Kid and Lou had stopped talking to each other. It had been two weeks
and Kid was obviously avoiding Lou. Nobody knew what had been going
on between the two of them but whatever happened had sent the Kid
into a mood Rachel hadn't seen him in before. He had not spoken to
anyone except Buck, and some occasional words with her or Teaspoon.
Lou spent an awful lot of time with Jimmy, but she didn't look that
happy. Something clearly troubled the girl. Problem was that when
Rachel had tried to talk to her she clearly avoided the issues Rachel
wanted to discuss. Earlier it had seemed as if they had become closer,
her and the Kid, but now something was definitely wrong. Even Jimmy
didn't know, thou' Lou usually confided in him if Kid wasn't around.
And now it seemed he wasn't around. For
anybody.
She swept her shawl
closer as she stopped at the barn door and looked in at the Kid doing
his stable duties. He looked up and made an almost invisible nod before
he continued with the chores at hand. Nope Rachel thought to herself,
no change today either. The silent treatment was getting on everybody's
nerves. She sighed as she left knowing that talking to him wouldn't
be a good idea. The occasional nods he provided wasn't the information
she needed. Usually he just walked away as if he avoided them all.
She looked at the sky above her and wondered when Jimmy or Noah were
gonna arrive? Hope they make it before it starts snowing, she thought
with a shrug.
Cody sat on his bunk carefully watching Lou. She'd been in an awful
mood this morning. As soon as Kid left the bunkhouse, and Lou standing
with her "Goodmornin'" unanswered, she took it out on him.
Now she walked around putting a log in the fireplace and looking out
the window.
"Who you waitin'
for?" Cody couldn't help asking her. His natural curiosity taking
over. He knew he was gonna regret this, but he couldn't help himself
"None of your
goddamn business" she growled at him. "An' get your filthy
belongings off of my bunk" she continued throwing a sock at him.
"That ain't
my sock for you information" he growled back "that's you
dear friend Jimmy's!"
"Everybody seems
to think we're engaged around here." She was making her way over
to Cody's bunk. Cody decided to move out of her way.
"Not everybody,
but you've sure spent an awful lotta' time with him an' I guess the
Kid's noticed it" Cody just had to tease her about the turning
of things. He had come across Lou and Jimmy talking in the barn a
lot of times. He'd never been lucky enough to hear what they were
saying, but judging from the Lou's mood lately he gathered it wasn't
sweet-talk. He just died to know what had happened. Teasing Lou about
Jimmy made him hope she would tell him.
"You're about the most stupid one I ever seen" Lou cried out taking a leap for Cody.
Cody realized it was time to get out of the bunkhouse. Before closing the door he yelled "Don't fret Lou, he'll be home today!" As he turned around he noticed himself standing eye to eye with the Kid. Kid's stonecold eyes glaring at him. Cody moved nervously away from the door. "Hi" Cody let out insecurely.
Kid didn't bother
to utter a word, just walked right past him into the bunkhouse. This
is goin to get intrestin' Cody thought as he leaned in placing an
ear to the door. All he heard was Kid's footsteps over the floor.
The opening and closing of a trunk and footsteps coming back towards
the door. Cody barely had time to get his ear from the door before
it swung open and Kid came back out. Cody stood on the porch watching
him make his way back to the barn.
"Phew" he remarked to himself sneaking in to the bunkhouse. "Lou?" he called out.
She was sitting on
the bench by the table, clearly miserable by the looks of it. He felt
a bit of bad conscience, him teasing her before.
"What's with
the Kid?" he asked "He looks like he's about to kill somebody."
"I know"
Lou sighed deeply "he hasn't been talkin' to anybody for weeks
now, and that ain't like the Kid."
"What happened,
somebody die or what?" Cody was dying to know some gossip he
could spread around. "Has it got something to do with you and
Jimmy?"
"Please, Cody,
there's nothing goin' on between me and Jimmy!"
"Well by the
looks of it, nothing's going on between you and the Kid either"
he said trying to lift her mood. He immediately understood he had
put his foot in his mouth again, seeing her put her head in her hands.
"Get out" she almost whispered, "just get out!"
Noah rode in like a blaze, throwing the mochilla to the next man in
turn, Cody. He watched the Kid come after his horse without a word.
He just took the reins and made his way to the stables. "You
don't have to do that" Noah shouted after him. Kid didn't look
back. Noah sighed as he went in to the bunkhouse. Nothing had changed
obviously, Kid was still avoiding the bunkhouse and Lou. Driving them
all crazy with his sullen mood.
Lou and Cody were
helping Rachel set the table as he strode in. "Hello ladies!
Guess what happened to the stagecoach!"
"What?"
Cody 's ears perked. His interest immediately changing from Lou and
the Kid to more promising issues. Lou didn't seem too interested,
Noah thought as he watched her, she looked subdued. He had been right,
nothing had changed.
"It was attached
by Indians"
Everybody looked
shocked, that was not a usual thing to happen around these parts.
"I know" Noah continued "I dunno why, but that's the
story."
Rachel turned an
questioning face to him.
"Well, Jimmy rode up just after the fact. Seems like a lady was hurt so he didn't go after the Indians." He watched out for Lou's reaction. Nothing. "Well" he continued "he's coming in with her now to the doctors. I think she was shot."
Rachel looked at
him "Badly?"
"Nope, just
a scratch on her arm, but Jimmy's takin' her to the doctors. He told
me to ask you if you could find a place for her in the house while
she rests up. Seems there's no other place for her." Noah was
kind of worried how Lou was going to take this news. Seeing as she
was spending a lot of time with Jimmy these day. That and the fact
that Kid looked as if he was about to kill somebody had made Noah
think there was something going on between Jimmy and Lou. But Lou
didn't seem to mind the news.
"Kid's on stable duty?" he asked Rachel. Having said that he saw Lou twitch and almost drop the plate she had been holding.
"No, it's really Jesse's turn but Kid seems to have taken over his chores. I saw Jesse run around with some boys from town." Rachel's and Noah's eyes met. Things were still the same around the bunkhouse.
Jimmy arrived with a beauty at his side. Rachel watched Lou's face
as she was presented to them all.
"This is Natalie Shearer" Jimmy told the bunch around the table. "She was hurt in the stagecoach incident."
The girl was tall
and slim, with darkblue eyes and light hair down to her waist. She
pushed a slim white hand to everyone and shook their hands. Buck grinned
foolishly at Jimmy's demeanor. Jimmy just gave him a warning glance.
Jimmy had staked his claim, that much was obvious. Rachel threw a
glance in Lou's direction but she didn't seem to mind. Odd, Rachel
thought she always gets upset with the boys antics when beautiful
girls were around. Now she doesn't seem to mind. Jesse was looking
at Natalie with eyes wide open. Rachel laughed at him and then suddenly
remembered that Kid hadn't come in yet.
"Would somebody
go get Kid from the barn?" she asked, looking around the room
for volunteers. Buck rose from his place "I'll go" he said
having checked for Lou's reaction.
Rachel watched Lou's eyes follow Buck to the door. Normally she would
have been the one running out after him. But now everything was different.
As Kid and Buck stepped in Natalie's eyes fell on the Kid. She smiled her sweetest smile at him obviously taken by him. "Enchanted, I'm Natalie Shearer, I've been invited to dine with you all tonight."
Kid's face lit up
and he took her hand "Folk's call me Kid" he replied with
a faint smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. But for the first
time in weeks the riders saw Kid actually smile. Oh God, Rachel thought
watching Jimmy's and Lou's reactions.
Lou wanted to run from the table and yell. But obviously she couldn't.
She watched Kid smile and the girl look at him as he was something
godsend. Damn you Natalie, she thought, can't you see he's ... Then
she remembered the harsh words she had spoken to him. He wasn't hers
anymore, and after what she had said she wondered if he ever would
talk to her again. Oh God if I could take everything back!
Jimmy noticed Natalie's
fascination too. Again he thought to himself. What is it in that man
that makes every woman, almost, fall for him? He's eyes went for Lou's
and he saw she had noticed too. He knew it would lead to another discussion
in the barn. But he wasn't going to give up this one. He was going
to fight for Natalie. He had already lost Lou to Kid, he wasn't going
to lose this one too. He felt his anger for the Kid rise and make
the blood boil in his veins. He knew it wasn't the Kid's fault Natalie
watched him with those deep blue eyes. Damn it Kid, you've already
got Lou and you want her. Don't let your pride and stubbornness destroy
everything!
Lou watched with
her heart shrinking Kid actually talk to Natalie over dinner. That
was something he hadn't done to anyone of them in weeks. But as soon
as anybody of them tried to talk to him he clammed up again. Rachel
was the only one that succeeded to get a word out of him. Natalie
had promptly placed herself between Jimmy and the Kid. Lou watched
Jimmy as he tried to get Natalie's attention. Being the perfect gentleman
he served Natalie's every wish. But she was looking at the Kid just
as much as she was watching Jimmy. Jimmy won't be too happy about
this, Lou thought as she watched the happenings in front of her. Not
once had Kid even glanced at her. Treating her as if she was air.
Serves me and my big mouth right, Lou thought, if I only
could get him to listen to me one more time and take back everything
I said to him.
She was relieved when dinner was over and they bid their goodnights. She couldn't have taken a minute more of it.
As Rachel and Natalie were making their ways back to the house Natalie looked back at the Kid.
"Would you show
me the beautiful horse, you've been tellin' me about?"
Kid nodded and took
both the ladies arm "I'll show Rachel home first, then we'll
go to the stables. If you're up for it?" Kid's voice was the
old warm voice that used to send shivers down Lou's spine. Now it
sent tears to her eyes.
Jimmy was left standing
in the bunkhouse door, ready to take Natalie to the house. He watched
in disbelief her taking Kid's arm and following him out.
Noah and Buck laughed.
"Seems like Kid's taken over you claim, Jimmy" Buck was being just a tad sarcastic.
"Not that I understand why you're so mad about it, I thought you and Lou were gettin' on pretty good.." Jimmy took a step in Noah's direction as he spoke. Jimmy's action made Noah's voice trail off. Jimmy felt Lou tug his arm.
"Jimmy we gotta talk!" Her eyes shone of unshed tears.
"Is it the barn again?" Noah shouted out after them.
"It's gonna
be crowded tonight" Buck tossed out as they left the bunkhouse.
Then they heard the laugher and Jesse's "What's goin' on?"
The remark made both
the riders laugh even harder.
"Jimmy, we
gotta do something. He's fallin' for that girl and it's all my fault."
Lou's voice sounded desperate as she whispered. They stood by the
corral so they could have a good view over the barn and its surroundings.
"Lou, I've been
trying' to talk to him but he acts like I don't exist."
"I know Jimmy.
I was just hopin...'"
"Couldn't you
tell me what the fight was all about Lou, maybe if I had a clue, I'd
be a better helper?"
"I can't Jimmy.
Some things I said were just too damn cruel."
"Still I think
it's better if you talk to him instead of me!"
"I try, but
he gets up and leaves if I come close enough to talk to him."
"I've never
seen him this angry this long. It's not like the Kid."
"I know Jimmy,
and it's drivin' me crazy!"
"What I can't
understand is what I'm doing in the middle of this?" Jimmy couldn't
make out what had happened between the two. But he felt like he had
lost his best friend, and nobody bothered to tell him why. He had
tried to make Lou tell him what had happened between the two, but
she was evasive. Just telling him bits and pieces, and he felt there
was something she felt uneasy telling him about.
They watched as Kid and Natalie walked over the yard towards them. Kid hesitant on approaching them, but Natalie eager. As they stopped in front of them Kid had assumed the posture he held earlier, Lou noticed, of utter disengagement.
Natalie turned to Lou "What a beautiful place you've got here!" Lou just nodded in agreement. She stared at Natalie, who was still clinging to Kid's arm. "So you're the two sweethearts" she smiled at the two in front of her.
Lou's mouth fell
open and Jimmy looked baffled.
"Excuse me"
he said with disbelief "who told you a thing like that?"
Natalie giggled "Oh
Kid here's been telling me about you all. But don't worry, he said
you're secretive about it. And I wont tell a soul!"
"Well"
Jimmy started, with an glance in Lou's direction "That ain't
exactly the truth now". Jimmy's eyes were darting from Kid to
Lou.
Jimmy stepped in
and took Natalie's arm "Kid's been kiddin' you" he said
as he took a hold of her arms making her almost spin. "I'll take
you to the house, you look beat." Now Natalie looked bewildered,
it was her turn to let her eyes wander between Jimmy and Kid. "I'll
tell you what's really going on here." Jimmy lashed her one of
his smile's and Natalie couldn't help but smile back at him. Jimmy
being the perfect gentleman and a charming one at that. She waved
at Kid and Lou, left them at the corral, looking lost.
"Kid?" Lou started but was stopped abruptly as he walked right past her not even hearing her as it seemed. His posture telling her there was no way getting through to him, not tonight either, he was not talking to her.
Lou sighed and felt the familiar tug at her heart as she followed him at a distance to the bunkhouse.
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|Chapter 1||Chapter 2||Chapter 3||Chapter 4||Chapter 5||Chapter 6|
|Chapter 7||Chapter 8| |Chapter 9||Chapter 10||Chapter 11| |Chapter 12|
|Chapter 13||Chapter 14||Chapter 15| |Chapter 16||Chapter 17||Chapter 18|
|Chapter 19||Chapter 20|
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