The stage rocked and rolled over the frozen prairie as it traveled along. They'd dropped off the other passengers in Blue Creek and the next stop on the route would be Sweetwater. Louise pulled her coat closer around her, tearing her gaze away from country she'd thought she'd never see again.
Theresa stirred in her sleep against Lou's shoulder as she adjusted the baby's blankets to cover him more completely. She longed to sleep like they did but she felt too anxious to ever drop off. Guilt flooded through her again at the thought of the people she'd see after almost a year and a half. But I couldn't watch him move on, she thought, desperately rationalizing her actions. She was faced with reminders of him every day--one of which lay peacefully dozing in the basket on her lap--she dreamed of him almost every night and yet she couldn't bring herself to say his name. It would hurt too much. She knew he was still living in Sweetwater as were the others, although Rachel's letters had mentioned Cody scouting for the Army.
Louise dreaded the moment she knew would come when she had to face the Kid and Samantha again. Would he see himself in her son? And if he did would he try and take him from her? Did he hate her for not telling him, for not even saying goodbye? Lou hated the way she'd left, sneaking out of the bunkhouse well after midnight. She'd left a letter explaining her actions with Jimmy, whom she knew could understand and swore Rachel and Teaspoon, the only ones to know her plans ahead of time, to secrecy. She'd kept her promise to write, her letters going out weekly and sometimes daily to Rachel, but even then there were some things that she'd left out about her life in Denver the last few months.
She'd been working for a kind, and generous older gentleman named Tanner Korsacov on his ranch just outside Denver as his foreman and general manager. Tanner had offered to marry her and provide for her siblings and unborn child, but she'd refused. Still, he'd named the children and herself in his will leaving them all his posessions. Life had been wonderful until a band of Unionists had discovered that Tanner employed free Negroes on his ranch. He was immediately branded a slave holder and one night the Unionists raided the ranch burning every building, chasing off the stock and employees, and lynching Tanner Korsacov. When Jeremiah had tried to interfere, he'd been shot and killed as well. Grief-stricken, Louise had sold the land and collected the money left to them in the will. She bought a stage ticket for Sweetwater after a letter from Rachel encouraged her to come home and start over. Her heart cried for familiar friends and family, so she'd packed up Theresa and the baby and set out.
The stage hit a particularly nasty bump in the road, jarring the baby awake. The child began fussing and Louise lifted him from the basket in her lap, cuddling him close. Rachel was the only one to know about Lou's pregnancy and who the real father was. For her part, Louise intended to avoid any nasty confrontations or consequences by telling everyone that his father was a dear friend who had recently died.
"They're sure gonna be surprised to see you, Lexi," she murmured, patting his back gently. Alexander James McCloud was the one good thing to happen to her since she'd left Sweetwater. At four months old, he was the stabilizing force in her life and the light of her world. In her dreams, she'd longed to find Kid missing her in Sweetwater so she could tell him about his son and they could all be the family she so desperately wanted. At times the guilt threatened to overwhelm her. She turned her head to look at the baby. "What do you think, huh? Should we tell your daddy about you and brace ourselves come hell or high water?" she asked the little one.
Lexi stared back at her with big blue eyes that were a mirror image of his father's. He grinned suddenly at her and Louise chuckled as she wiped the drool from his chin. "Nah, we're doin' just fine on our own, ain't we?" she replied with more assurance than she felt.
"Sweetwater," the driver called. "One hour lunch stop!"
Theresa stirred and sat up blinking wearily. "Are we there?" At Louise's curt nod, the girl withdrew slightly and began gathering their things. Without another word, she took the driver's hand and hopped out of the carriage into the muddy street.
Louise cursed her skirts as she alighted, struggling to hold them back and the baby at the same time. She glanced at Theresa as the girl's hollow, haunted eyes glanced around the town. The poor girl hadn't been the same since Jeremiah's death. It had been two months and Louise had expected her to bounce back with that resilience that some children have, but she hadn't. She still picked at her food listlessly, was plagued by nightmares, and was prone to long silences.
"Louise!"
She looked up at the joyous cry to see Rachel coming down the steps of the Sweetwater Hotel toward her. Her arms were outstretched and a welcoming smile split her face even as tears gathered in the corners of her eyes. Louise's eyes widened as Rachel turned just so and she could see the small stomach that was just beginning to show.
The blonde woman embraced both mother and child tightly, kissing her long lost friend's cheek affectionately. "It's so good to see you home!" Rachel exclaimed. She pulled back and looked over the younger woman, taking in the plain brown skirt and white blouse covering a slightly fuller figure. Louise's hair had grown, too, and the thick auburn waves were now pinned up neatly, a few tendrils escaping to frame her face. "You look beautiful, Louise. Is this Lexi?"
Louise turned so that Rachel could see the baby's face as it lay against her shoulder. "Yup, this is him," she said with a proud smile. "Rachel Dunne, meet Alexander James McCloud."
Rachel traced a delicate ear, smiling wistfully. "He looks so much like his daddy," she whispered absently. "Don't worry no one knows but me and I'll go with whatever you decide to do, Lou. Oh, and it's Rachel Hunter now." She held up her left hand with its golden band sparkling in the winter light. "We got married August fourteenth."
"You and Teaspoon?!"
Rachel laughed. "That's exactly what the boys said when we told them," she replied. "We'll be havin' one of our own in a few months." She gestured to the baby Louise held.
Lou quickly introduced Theresa to Rachel. The girl greeted the former stationmistres quietly but with a genuine smile, inspiring hope in Louise that maybe with some attention, Theresa may one day return to her former bouyant self. "Speaking of the boys," she started.
"Don't worry about them, Lou. Your leaving was hard on them, but they've forgiven you. When I told them you were coming home, they all seemed real anxious to see you," Rachel assured her. "Let's run over to Teaspoon's office and get someone to come get your things. Horace'll watch your trunks 'til we get back."
The anxiousness returned the closer they got to the law office. Louise paused outside, taking deep breaths to brace herself for the reunion she hoped would be a happy one. Before she took more than a step closer to the door, she heard the scraping of chairs.
"Is that Louise McCloud I see standin' outside my door like a stranger?" Teaspoon called as he emerged from the doorway. He caught Lou up in a fierce hug, nearly smothering the baby between them who began to fuss at the closeness. The older man pushed her from him and looked her up and down, a smile on his face. "Last time I seen you, you was in britches," he chuckled. "Looks like you been busy."
"I got a little too big for my britches," Lou teased. "Happens to all women when they're expectin'." She held the baby up for his to see. "Say hello to Alexander James McCloud."
"James, huh? Ain't you courtin' trouble namin' 'im after Jimmy?" Teaspoon asked.
"I heard that, Teaspoon." Jimmy walked out of the marshal's office with a pleased grin on his face. He stopped before Louise who passed the baby to Rachel. Jimmy just looked at the woman before him marking the differences in her, not only the physical ones but also the haunted look in her eyes. She was more beautiful than he remembered and carried herself with a calmness and assurance she hadn't shown before. He pointed at her and shook his head slightly. "You little...."
"Careful, James Butler Hickok, my baby's listening," Lou grinned. "Wouldn't wanna be teachin' your nephew those words you use in the saloon yet, deputy." She squealed in the next moment as he pulled her off her feet in a tight hug, twirling her around as he laughed in her ear. "Jimmy, put me down!"
He lowered her to her feet and kissed her forehead. "I missed you," he said simply. "Hey there, Theresa."
Louise turned to her little sister, pulling her to stand in front of her, Lou's hands on her shoulders in a gesture of support. "You remeber Jimmy, don't ya Sugar Bear?"
Jimmy knelt in front of the small girl. "Don't believe a thing she's told ya about me," he whispered to her. "It's all lies, except the bit about my good looks." Theresa giggled as Louise smacked Jimmy on the head in retaliation.
"Good mornin' Marshal and Mrs. Hunter, Jimmy."
Louise turned at the husky drawl and stared at the newcomer. She'd expected to see Samantha behind her, but the woman she saw was someone else entirely. She stood slightly taller than Louise, her golden hair catching even the dim, winter's light of February making it gleam. Her green eyes sparkled with interest and intelligence as she sized up Louise with thinly veiled curiosity. She was dressed in lavender and had apparently been shopping because she held a dressmaker's package under one arm. Louise felt a flash of intuition and knew that this woman was one of the changes she'd be forced to accept. Despite her apprehension, Louise easily slipped into the poker face she'd perfected over the past few months.
"I'm sorry. I hope I'm not interruptin' anythin'," the woman ventured after a moment in which they'd all stared at each other.
"Not at all, Laura," Rachel said quickly. "We were just welcoming back a member of the family. This is Louise McCloud, her sister Theresa, and her son Alexander. They've just moved back here from Denver."
Louise caught a flash of hostility at the mention of her own name that was quickly covered up by feigned amiability. Taking a cleansing breath, she smiled and extended her hand. "Pleased to meet you Miss...."
"Wilson, Laura Wilson. I'm Kid's fiancee," Laura replied. She watched triumphantly as the woman's face faltered slightly. Laura knew Louise McCloud's story; it was all she'd heard from Kid for months before he'd gotten over the woman. It was entirely too convenient for her to show up suddenly out of the blue, and with a baby no less. It didn't take much to figure out that she'd probably gone away and gotten herself in trouble and now she was here hoping to pass the child off as Kid's. Well Laura Wilson was not going to let some trollop ruin her coming nuptials.
His fiancee, Louise repeated to herself. She swallowed hard against the sudden lump in her throat and felt Jimmy's hand touch hers comfortingly. She looked up to see the sympathetic looks in the others' eyes and bristled at it. Her jaw clenched and her eyes hardened at the pleasure in Laura Wilson's eyes. Her pride was all Louise McCloud had left and she'd be damned if she'd bring shame to her little family by losing it. She rose to the full extent of her diminutive height with determination. "Congratulations," Lou said tightly. "When's the wedding?"
"June sixth," Laura replied graciously. "I was just picking up some things for the wedding from Mrs. Boland's shop. Kid and I have been so busy plannin' everythin' that I do believe he plumb forgot Rachel said you were comin'."
Louise smiled fakely. "He didn't forget, Miss Wilson. I asked Rachel not to tell him and you can rest assured that I came back at her request, not because I wanted to cause trouble for the two of you or stir up anythin'," she replied, her anger starting to make her forget her manners. "He forgot all about me quite a while ago with a woman named Samantha. You can tell him I'm back and if he wants to see me I'm staying at the old waystation with Rachel and Teaspoon. Now, if you'll excuse me, my sister's tired and my baby's hungry." She walked into the law office with her shoulders squared, her spine straight and tall while the others watched her wordlessly.
Laura bristled at the woman's words. Was this part of her plan? Was she trying to play hard to get so Kid could chase her? Laura felt uneasy with her first assumption about the woman's motives for returning. If she'd meant to get Kid back wouldn't she have told him she was coming? She turned to the three adults and the child watching her. "Well, I believe that's my cue to leave," she said quietly. "Please tell Louise that it truly was a pleasure meeting her and that she's, of course, invited to the engagement party next week with ya'll. After all, there's nothin' more important than family."
"Why do I get the feelin' that we're just sittin' on a powder keg about ready to blow like a Fourth of July fireworks display?" Teaspoon asked as they watched Laura retreat down the street.
Jimmy glanced back worriedly at the direction Louise had left. "'Cause it's Kid and Lou we're talkin' about," he said softly. "I ain't the smartest man in the world but even I know that one look at the baby boy and he'll go through the roof, even if he weren't...."
"Lou's story is that he's not, so I'd advise you to keep your mouth shut about what you think, Jimmy," Rachel warned. "It's Lou's decision and it's between the two of them. I just get the feelin' that someone's gonna get hurt here and I sure hope it isn't Louise. She's had enough to bear recently."
Jimmy placed a hand on Theresa's shoulder and she smiled up at him. "Why don't you and me go get your things at the hotel," he suggested. "Maybe I'll just have to let you drive on the way home." Teaspoon and Rachel watched as a bond formed between the formerly sullen rider and the grieving girl. They walked down the street together, Jimmy telling her everything he could about her new home even getting her to giggle at something before they diappeared around a corner.
"Some people's kids," Teaspoon sighed.
Rachel poked him in the side with her elbow, smiling gently as she laid
her head on his shoulder. "Our kids," she corrected.
