How could he have missed seeing that she was a girl? He had known that there was something different about her, but he could never put his finger on just what it was. Now he could see it plain as day. Lou was not a boy, but a young woman dressed like a boy. “How could I have been so stupid?” he asked out loud, glad that he was alone. He kicked at a stick in the dirt with his boot. He prided himself for being observant but this… this took him by surprise. When Lou revealed that she was a girl when they were rescuing her siblings, you could have knocked him over with a feather. Ever since then his feelings were being stirred up, confusing him to no end. Never had he felt for another what he was now feeling for Lou. She was the first person to touch his heart and he was unsure what to do about it. He realized that Kid was feeling similar feelings about their fellow rider by the glances he’d caught Kid sending Lou’s way when he thought no one was looking. ‘For so long, I thought I would never find anyone to care about, to love. Now I know I was wrong. There’s nothing I don’t like about her,’ he told himself. He was lost in thought, remembering Lou’s laugh, the way her smile would start at one corner of her mouth, the whiskey brown of her eyes. ‘I could get lost in those eyes…’ Just then the object of his thoughts came riding into the yard, handing off the mochila to Kid who was heading east on a run. Lou jumped off Lightning, slapping the dust from her clothing, looking around the yard. Buck had offered to take care of her horse so she headed towards the bunkhouse to gather up a change of clothing and take a shower. “Hey, Jimmy!” she called cheerfully upon noticing him standing by the woodpile. “Hey, Lou. How was your run?” he asked feeling like he’d been caught thinking of her. She sauntered over to him and sat on a log. “Long, dusty. You know…” He laughed nervously. Just being near her brought all his senses alive. His heart was thumping so loudly, he was afraid that she would hear it and know, know how he felt about her. “Best get cleaned before Emma sets dinner on the table,” he suggested, wanting her to leave him alone, yet wanting her to stay at the same time. Watching her disappear inside the bunkhouse, Jimmy wondered if she’d ever know that she was the first to touch his heart… Drop me a note and let me know what you thought!