By Lisa R.
Chapter XIII
Lou was left to rest and recover for the next several weeks. She spent many of her waking hours talking with Flynn or Fallon. Although curious, neither asked any pressing questions. Three weeks after the accident most of her scrapes and bruises had healed and she was finally allowed to sit on the porch and watch as the sheep were brought in from the pastures for lambing. Still unable to cook her way out of a can of beans, Shannon put her to work peeling potatoes and shelling peas. The first revolt from boredom came after a month of nothingness.
"Please, Shannon. I'm begging you! Can't I just go down to the pens and watch? I want to see the babies."
"Lou, the whining is goin' to get you nowhere with me. Shane said you have to stay off that ankle for two more weeks, then you can do light work."
Normally an active fifteen-year-old, Lou didn't think she would survive another two minutes, let alone another two weeks. "I'm so bored. I just want to watch, I won't try to do nothin'."
"No, Lou. I can't have you just strolling down to the barns. How about a deal?"
"Anything, just let me off of this porch!"
"You stay put today and Flynn can take you for a ride after we get back from church on Sunday."
"Sunday? That's two whole days away."
"Take it or leave it, Lou. And if I was you, I'd take it. The offer may not stay on the table much longer."
Lou agreed and waited impatiently until Sunday afternoon. Fallon helped her bundle up and Liam carried her to the waiting wagon. They rode in silence, for what seemed like forever, until Lou could no longer take it.
"Flynn, what's wrong with you? You haven't said a word since we left The Double K. This silence is killing me."
"I don't know, Lou. I have so much I want to ask and I'm guessing there's so much I don't want to know about where you went when you left." He saw Lou avoid his eyes and knew he was right. "You don't have to talk about it, but just know I'm here, if you want to."
"Thank you, Flynn. I'd just rather forget it if I could. It doesn't matter anymore anyway. I'm here to stay now."
"That's good to know, Lulu."
Flynn continued driving the wagon in silence, but Lou sensed he still had something else to say. "Just spit it out, Flynn."
"Spit what out?"
"Whatever it is that has you all tied up in knots."
Flynn pulled the wagon to a stop and turned to look at her. "I came for you." He watched the confusion flash across Lou's face. "It was about four months after we went to St. Louis and about three months after your last letter. I was worried and I went back to the orphanage to get you."
"And I wasn't there." Lou spoke softly, ashamed that she hadn't trusted him enough to wait for him to come back for her.
"Nope. Not what I expected, that's for sure. Sister Marie told me you left with Stacy and Joey about the time I got your last letter and she didn't know where you went. She was real sad about it, Lou."
"I'm sure Sister Catherine wasn't so broken up about it."
"She wasn't there either. She left right after you did and Sister Marie took over. I told you it would all work out. Why didn't you stay? I was coming back for you."
"I had to go or Sister Catherine would have thrown us all out."
"I looked in St. Joe for you and I even thought you might be in St. Louis when I got back, but you weren't."
Lou knew that the whole time Flynn was looking for her, she was trapped doing the laundry in a brothel and it made her feel so guilty. She couldn't stand for him to feel guilty as well. Knowing that he looked for her was enough for her. "It doesn't matter anymore. We're together now and it can be like it was before."
Flynn hugged her and cherished her naivete. She really didn't know he was completely in love with her. She just wanted a return to their easy friendship. He would give her that, for now, but one day she would be his. "Sure, Lulu. It can be just like before."
In the months that followed, Lou healed and settled back into life on the ranch. However, this time it was a different life than the one she had led in secret. As promised, Shannon would not let her move back into the bunkhouse and she was given their guestroom as her own. Liam and Connor agreed that she could continue working, but Lou did notice she was given less heavy lifting and hard labor to do, now that they knew she was a girl. No matter how much Shannon and Fallon tried, they couldn't get her back into skirts and dresses unless it was for church. Her only concession to her former identity was her hair. She was excited about letting it grow back out. She and Flynn returned to their easy friendship and Lou laughed more that summer than she had in a long time.
The summer months were long and lazy with the new lambs out grazing on the pastures and the rest of the herd being readied for either the new breeding season or market. Life outside Denver was dull, but everyone enjoyed the peace and tranquility of the warm sunny days and cool nights. The calm was broken in late July when an old miner made a gold strike along Cherry Creek. The gold was plentiful and it resulted in a great stampede of prospectors to the territory each filled with hopes of getting rich quick.
The Double K was unaffected by the gold rush and enjoyed the benefits of a growing population in Denver. Their wool and cattle went for far above market value as stores and restaurants clamored to keep up with demand. The only downturn the ranch saw was the loss of several hands to the hard life of prospecting.
The fall brought a new lambing season and several new hands were hired to replace those who never returned from trying their luck as prospectors. Lou thought the new men seemed nice enough, but they didn't have the same family-like feel as the men that she shared a bunk with for six months. Many of the new men were failed prospectors who couldn't bear to return to their homes empty-handed. Choosing to stay in the "Wild West", they seemed harder and wiser to the ways of the world than the previous crew. Lou did her best to avoid them or she made sure she was with another familiar face when they had to work together.
Lou's uneasiness around the new men didn't go unnoticed by Flynn and some of the other family members. Flynn was nominated to talk to her and he confronted her one afternoon as she re-shod Lightning.
"Lulu, is something bothering you?"
"Other than this stubborn animal?" Turning her attention back to her restless horse she gave him a nudge and took a better grip of his leg. "No. Why'd you think that?"
"Well, Connor and Dad and I noticed you don't seem to like workin' with the new men as much as you liked the other guys. Did someone say something to you?"
Not taking her eyes from her task she shook her head. Nobody had said anything to upset her. There were a couple of guys who looked at her a little too much for her liking, but she didn't want to say anything to Flynn. She figured she was just being paranoid now that she was out in the open as a girl again. "Nobody said anything to me. I like 'em just fine. Some of them are just not as friendly as Enrique and Bob and the others were. I didn't mean to upset you."
Flynn took the hammer from her hand and tapped in the nails for the new shoe while Lou held Lightning in place. "Lulu, we know you weren't trying to worry us, but you're part of our family and we look out for each other."
'I'm fine, really." Lou tried to convince herself at the same time as she convinced Flynn. "Maybe acting like a girl again is just making me goofy. Last year at this time I was acting like a boy and nothing bothered me."
Handing Lou back the hammer, Flynn kissed her on the cheek before leaving the stall. "I like you better as a girl, Lulu. I wouldn't want to have to marry a boy."
In an instant, Flynn was gone and Lou was left with only her racing heart and flushed face. It was the first time, in a long time, that he had said anything about marrying her. She didn't know what to think other than she was pleased. The idea of courting and marriage still seemed far off to her, but it was nice to know someone loved her like Flynn did. Maybe one day she would be able to love him back, like he wanted.
Lou had little time to think about Flynn and his notions of marriage nor any spare time to worry about the new ranch hands as breeding season began in earnest. The Double K had decided to double the herd size as well as add more cattle to keep up with the influx of people moving into Denver and further points west. The first break they had was Christmas and even that was a holiday filled with constant activity.
Returning from church on Christmas Eve, Flynn asked Lou to stay outside when the family went in to warm up with hot tea before bed. The group filing in seemed endless. The house was full to the girders with guests. Shane and Charlotte were staying with them along with their new baby boy, Stephen. Charlotte's parents, visiting from St. Louis and seeing their grandchild for the first time, were staying at the ranch as well.
"Will you take a walk with me Lou?"
Flynn had been uncharacteristically quiet all day and Lou was curious to see what was eating at him. "Sure. It's awful noisy in there and it is such a pretty night."
Together they walked towards the barns and stood leaning against the corral watching the clear night sky. Flynn nervously played with the buttons of his worn coat and Lou watched with him with interest.
"Flynn Malone. Are you going to tell me what has you all crazy or do I have to beat it out of you?"
"Sorry, Lulu. I didn't realize it was that obvious. I'm just a little upset because it doesn't look like your Christmas present will be here in time."
"Is that all?" Lou smiled and took his hand in hers. "It's okay, really. Just being here with you and your family is enough of a present for me. I haven't had a real Christmas in a long time. With all the worrying you were doing, I thought you were going to do something crazy, like propose to me."
The look that flashed across Flynn's face nearly knocked Lou off her feet. He immediately reacted with a look filled with desire and love, but in an instant it changed to anger.
"Don't joke about that, don't ever joke about that." Flynn fought to keep control of his emotions. "You say it like it's funny, but Lulu I am going to marry you one day. You may be too young to understand this now, but I love you. I know I could make you happy and I'm willing to wait for you to realize that."
Lou's eyes filled with tears at the mere thought that she had hurt Flynn's feelings so badly. She felt especially bad because he was being so honest with her. She dropped his hand and hung her head in shame. "I'm sorry, Flynn. I shouldn't kid you about that. I do know how you feel about me and it wasn't fair for me to say what I did. You're right, I am too young right now. One day, I hope I can return your love the way you want. I want us to always be friends though."
Flynn pulled her into an embrace that unequivocally answered her question. "Nothing will ever change our friendship, Louise McCloud. I swear."
"Do you double dog swear?"
He laughed upon hearing their childhood game. "I double dog swear."
Mutually satisfied by the results of their conversation, they turned to return to the house. The sound of approaching horses stopped them in their tracks. Lou turned to look at Flynn who was suddenly very excited.
"What's going on, Flynn? You look as if you're the cat who swallowed the canary."
"Do you trust me, Lulu?"
"Of course I do."
"Good, then close your eyes and don't open them until I tell you."
"What are you talking about? Who's here, Flynn?"
"Just do it! I promise it will be great."
Lou covered her eyes with her hands and shook her head as Flynn left her standing in the snow. "Fine! You know, you're getting weirder and weirder the older we get." Flynn raced to greet the riders and held the horses as his guests dismounted. He made them promise not to speak as he pointed to Lou standing with her hands over her eyes. The three ran towards the unsuspecting girl and Lou was totally unprepared when she was grabbed and spun like a toy top. Dropping her hands, she was shocked by the sight before her.
"Joey!" Joey Nelson set the dizzy girl down and Lou was able to focus in on the other mystery rider. "Stacy! What're you two doing here?"
"Merry Christmas, Lulu! Your present made it just in time." Flynn stood watching Lou and beaming with pride. His surprise had worked after all.
Unable to decide which of them to hug first, Lou reached for all her friends at the same time. Instantly a tangle of arms and legs, they were nearly hysterical with laughter as they fell into the snow and frolicked like the days when they first met. Curious about the commotion in their yard, the Malones and their extended family spilled onto the porch.
Seeing the snow covered group made Shannon Malone smile. "I guess we better find a place for two more."
Christmas morning was filled with presents, laughter, carols and more surprises. When the last of the presents was open and the large extended family had finally settled down, Connor and Fallon rose to stand before the fireplace and called the family to order.
Connor placed his arm around Fallon's shoulders before speaking. "We wanted to save this present for the end of the day so we wouldn't steal anyone else's thunder."
"What are you talking about, lad? Just spit it out, I smell fresh biscuits in the other room."
"Now Papa, just stay put for a few more seconds." Fallon looked into her husband's eyes and he nodded. "We wanted to tell everyone that you'll have to set one more place next Christmas. Connor and I are having a baby!"
The room erupted into instant pandemonium as everyone jumped up to hug and congratulate the parents-to-be. Shannon held her daughter tightly. Although this wouldn't be her first grandchild, it would be her little girl's first child.
Lou took her turn hugging the expectant mother and was filled with joy and excitement for her friend. Feeling Fallon's flat belly, she questioned the actuality of a baby being there.
"Trust me. I've been sick enough every morning for the past few months to absolutely guarantee you I'm havin' a baby, but Shane sent me to Dr. Peters in town, and it's definite. It should be in early May. I guess I won't be much help with lambing this spring."
"You'll have your own lamb to worry about by then!" The two girls hugged. Guided by a house full of merriment and laughter they found everyone gathered in the dining room for Christmas breakfast.
Joey and Stacy insisted on helping with the daily work on the ranch during their visit and the only time Lou and Stacy had to catch up was when they were curled in bed ready for sleep. Tight quarters necessitated Stacy staying with Lou, but they didn't mind. It reminded them of their time in St. Joe.
"Lou, can you tell me where you went after we left you at the station?" Stacy was devastated when she found out Lou had never made it to St. Louis. Flynn had found her and Joey through the newspaper in St. Joe and they had all kept in contact ever since.
"It was a long time ago, Stacy. I don't really like to talk about it." Lou was concerned that her friend would find out what really happened to her.
"I'm not faulting you, Lou. I was just so worried when Flynn wrote. When we didn't ever hear from you, I just figured you were caught up with life in St. Louis. I never figured it was different and I'm so sorry. If I had known you were in trouble, I would have come looking for you too."
Sitting up and pulling her knees to her chest, Lou looked at Stacy's sincere face. She had missed her friends and was so grateful to Flynn for bringing them to her for Christmas. "I still can't believe you're here, Stace. Flynn's so crazy sometimes."
"He's crazy about you, Lou."
"I know that. I just don't know what to do about it." The burden of her conflicting emotions and her difficult past were beginning to weigh on her. She knew she could tell Stacy anything so with a deep sigh and a quick moment to gather her thoughts, Lou spent the next several hours telling her friend all that had happened since their parting.
Lou told Stacy about every detail of her life since their parting, including her time at the brothel, but she did censor herself when discussing Wicks. She was still too scared and embarrassed by the attack to tell even Stacy. They laughed together over the stories about Pauline and Arnie. Lou even found herself telling Stacy about her discomfort around the new ranch hands.
Holding her friend's hand, Stacy vowed to take her story to the grave. "I can see why you'd want to just enjoy being here and not face the whole issue, but Pauline was right. One day you'll find a good man who will love you. Just don't count out Flynn."
"I won't. See, I do love him. It's just not like the way he loves me. I wish I knew why? Gosh this stuff is complicated, isn't it?"
"Sure is. There's a boy, back in Chicago, trying to court me." Stacy snorted with laughter at the thought. "Imagine me getting involved with anyone right now, especially George. Lou, he's terrible!"
The girls fell asleep laughing to the stories Stacy shared about George the Terrible and her escapades in the big city of Chicago.
All too quickly it was the middle of January 1859 and their special visit was over. Joey couldn't stay away from work any longer and the Nelsons had to prepare to return to Chicago. Although Lou would miss them terribly, she knew the ranch would be too busy for her to dwell on their absence. They said their teary good byes and all promised to not to let so much time pass before the next visit. On the trip home, Joey had to stop in St. Louis on newspaper business and Stacy promised Lou she would check in at Pauline and Arnie's.
"You'll tell them I'm alright?" It was important to Lou that they know she had made it and she was with people who were like her family.
"I'll tell them you're better than alright. I'll tell them you're perfect!"
Little did the two girls know, but it was almost as if Stacy's words put a curse on Lou's happy life. Within weeks of the Nelson's departure, once again, Lou's world began to crumble.
To Be Continued...Chapter 14
Copyright 1998-This work is not to be reproduced without the permission of the author
The Way Station
Campfire Tales
