Chapter I
By Jessica Abernethy
Kid squinted his eyes against the bright sun and looked across the street where Rachel was emerging from Thompkin's general store. He ducked back into the jewelry store, looking sheepish, but quite content in the knowledge that the housekeeper hadn't seen him. He felt slightly silly being so secretive, but he wanted Lou's Valentine's Day gift to be a surprise, to everyone.
After waiting a few more moments, he exited the small shop, absently checking his pocket to see that the beautiful gold ring he'd purchased was still there. His heart was thumping wildly in his chest as he ran over the words he'd say to Lou in just two days. After receiving several strange looks from passerby's, he tried to wipe the foolish grin he knew was plastered on his handsome face.
He was about to cross the street when a stage came barreling down the mainstreet. Kid paused a moment as the door opened and a female form stepped down lightly. Kid's breath caught in his throat as the woman turned her face to look around the bustling town, a small smile on her delicate face.
Without a moment's hesitation, he strode towards the new arrival. He couldn't believe it was her. He hadn't seen her in over three years, and he found his heart was full of anticipation. When he finally stood in front of her, he removed his hat and smiled. Her blue eyes locked with his, as recognition flooded them.
"Hello Rebecca."
Before the beautiful woman could respond, a tiny blonde head poked out of the stage and looked around. Rebecca grinned and held her hand out as she helped the small boy to the ground. Kid knelt to the ground as he peered closer at the lad. He couldn't have been more than two, and his sparkling eyes were alight with curiosity.
"Who's this?" Kid asked good-naturedly.
"This is Christopher... our son."
Teaspoon walked out of his office and glanced down the street. His gaze swept over the prosperous town in pride. He turned to stroll down the walk, making his rounds when something caught his eye.
He spotted Kid in the distance, a look of pure shock covering his gentle face. Teaspoon raised his shaggy eyebrow when he finally noticed Kid's attractive companion. I wonder what Lou would think of this, he thought to himself as he made to cross the street. However, he stopped in his tracks when Kid picked up the woman's bag and headed towards the local hotel. It was then that Teaspoon noticed the young boy holding his mother's hand. His eyebrow shot up again wondering who these people were, and how they knew the Kid.
He was broken from his thoughts when Joe Michaels, the saloon owner appeared in front of him, holding a handkerchief over his eye. Teaspoon didn't like the man and fought to hide the smile that threatened to appear on his grizzled face.
"Marshall Hunter, you have to come quick. Those drunkards have gone crazy and they're destroying my establishment as we speak."
"Would you like to be more specific?"
"We're wastin' time! Are you the Marshal or not?"
Teaspoon wanted to walk away and leave the man to take care of his own problems, but knew that he couldn't. It was with deep regret that he followed the disgruntled saloon owner to break up the mini battle. All thoughts of Kid and the strangers disappeared when he entered the building.
Tables were over-turned and chairs were strewn about. Instead of finding fierce desperadoes combating, Teaspoon was quite amused to discover that the cause of the destruction was a pair of rollicking women, exchanging blows. Teaspoon approached the women calmly, holding his hands up.
"This is what you called me down for, Michaels?" Teaspoon asked sarcastically as he turned back to smirk at the man, which was probably why he didn't see the balled up fist fly at him. Teaspoon let out a painful grunt as he fell to the floor, unconscious.
After he'd gotten over his initial shock in the street, he'd suggested they get to a hotel room so he could hear the entire story. Rebecca took a deep breath and tried to smile. Her gaze then rested on her son, who lay sleeping in the bed.
"There ain't much to tell Kid... I found out I was with child when I went to visit my aunt. I didn't tell her or anyone... I wanted to wait until I talked to you before I made any decisions. When I came home, papa said you had moved on." Her voice wasn't accusatory, just sad.
"What happened?"
"After I told Papa, he disowned me. I didn't know what to do so I left and I've been movin' around ever since, tryin' to find work. That's why I moved here...I heard it was a nice little town with opportunities."
When Kid didn't respond, she looked at him sharply. He was looking at her, but Rebecca knew he didn't see her. His mind was reeling, a thousand different emotions and thoughts jumbled together. Foremost was guilt. If he hadn't of left, then she wouldn't have had to go through everything alone. He also felt a joy he'd never known. He had a son, someone who was a part of him. Finally, a sadness enveloped him as he realized what he had to do, and what he was giving up. His eyes finally came back into focus and he looked her in the eyes.
"You don't have to worry anymore Rebecca, I'm here now and everything is goin' to be just fine."
"What do you mean?"
"Come on, we have to go see the minister."
"What are you talkin' about Kid... what are you doin'?"
"Somethin' I should have done a long time ago." Kid answered as he looked to his son.
"Oh come on Noah, you're just jealous that I have a date for the dance and you don't."
"Jealous? If you call Marie Jacobs a date, then I feel sorry for you."
"What's wrong with Marie?"
"What's wrong with her? Well, nothin' if she don't talk, but there ain't no chance of that." Noah returned. Lou laughed at Noah's statement knowing it to be true. Marie Jacobs was the fastest mouth in the west, and besides that, her voice was high pitched and whiny. The duo turned as she entered and greeted her. Buck emerged from the shadows and took her reins.
"I'll take care of him for you Lou." he said quietly.
"Thanks Buck." She smiled as she left to go clean up, more anxious than ever to see the Kid. She wanted to show him the dress she bought in Blue Creek, specially for the Valentine's Day dance the church was putting on.
"You're not." Kid protested.
"Are you sure?"
"I've never been more sure about anything in my life." Kid replied, smiling in reassurance.
"But, we don't even have rings."
Kid lowered his eyes because he didn't want her to see the sadness that appeared in them. Suddenly, he pulled a blue velvet box from his pocket and looked up. He opened it and was pleased by the expression of delight on her face, secretly wishing the look were on someone else's face.
"Kid...I don't know about this. I mean, I'm sure we've both changed..."
"Look Rebecca... Christopher deserves a real home, with a real father. I want to be there for him, for both of you. What we're doin' is right."
There was such a sureness in his voice that Rebecca had to smile. She finally nodded followed Kid obediently to the door. He knocked firmly and smiled at the kindly-looking older man who opened the door.
"Well, this is a surprise Kid. And who is this?" The man asked, looking at Rebecca and smiling.
"This is Rebecca Mann... we're here to be married."
"Yes Cody, a woman gave me this, now shut up before I give you a matchin' one." Teaspoon growled. "Can you believe that Noah? The great Teaspoon Hunter got knocked out by a woman!" Cody continued, ignoring Teaspoon's threat.
"You keep on Billy, and you'll know the feelin'." Lou interjected hotly. She was concerned that the Kid wasn't back and wasn't in the mood for Cody's stereotypes.
Even though Cody ignored Teaspoon's threat, he took Lou's seriously, knowing how the female rider was when it came to Kid. He cleared his throat and transferred his gaze to his plate, eliciting amused smile from everyone around the dinner table, except for Lou, who was too worried to notice.
Suddenly, the door opened and Kid entered, followed by a young woman carrying a small child. Lou's eyes narrowed as she inspected the other woman. While not expensively dressed, she was quite elegant. Her abundant blonde hair fell in soft curls down her back, and her bright blue eyes were framed by long lashes. She was almost as tall as the Kid, and she stood almost shyly looking at everyone through lowered eyes.
"Kid, where ya been?" Cody asked.
Kid looked at everyone except for Lou and then cleared his throat. Everyone unconsciously sat forward, knowing the news was going to be interesting by the way he pulled his hat off and put his arm around the woman's shoulder.
"I uh... I've been gettin married." Kid explained quietly.
The only sound that greeted Kid's announcement was the clanging of a fork as it dropped on someone's plate. He looked around once more and saw the most shocked bunch he'd ever seen. Cody's mouth was literally hanging open, Teaspoon's eyebrows were raised higher than he'd ever seen; Rachel's eyes were wide as were Buck's. Lou just sat there, her small face immobile. He couldn't imagine what Jimmy's response would have been had he been there and not on a run.
"Married?" Teaspoon asked.
Kid nodded and smiled slightly. "This is Rebecca, my wife...and Christopher, my son." When nobody responded, he looked to Rachel for help. "Uh Rachel, I hate to ask you this... but can you put Rebecca up in your guest room? Just until we find a place of own. The hotel's not really a fit place for a child."
Rachel, broken from her shock stood and smiled graciously. "Of course, if you just follow me Rebecca, I'll show you to your room."
"Thank you ma'am." Rebecca replied quietly as she followed the older woman out of the room.
"I think you've got some explainin' to do son." Teaspoon said as Kid stood in the doorway.
Kid took a deep breath and sat down at the table. "Before I ended up in Sweetwater, I was in Deep Creek. I worked at a livery stable for a man named Richard Mann. Rebecca is his daughter. We... we uh were real close if you know what I mean. I was only there for about a year, and then I left."
"That doesn't explain you bein' married." Cody said.
"I'm gettin' to that. I was in town today, and she arrived by stage. That's when she told me everythin'. Her father has disowned her, and it's all my fault. She ain't got no one else to look after her. She's been roamin' around tryin' to find work to support herself."
"So you decided to marry her?" Lou finally spoke, her voice shaking.
"It was the right thing to do. Christopher is my son, it's time I took responsibility for my actions. We went to the Reverend Johnson's this afternoon, and he married us."
"So what are you goin' to do now?" Teaspoon asked.
"I don't know yet." Kid confessed.
"Well, you stay here as long as you like son. You're family, and I guess she is now too." Teaspoon said, knowing how hard it must have been for Kid to come to his decision. He didn't necessarily agree with him, but he had to admire the boy for taking responsibility.
Kid smiled in relief, and the others smiled too, except for one. Lou pushed her chair away from the table and stood up on trembling knees. She felt as if her world were crashing down and she was helpless to do anything about it. Kid tried to reach for her hand, but Lou backed away as if she'd been burned.
"Lou... I'm so sorry." Kid whispered.
Lou didn't trust herself to speak, so she fled from Rachel's house wordlessly. Everyone exchanged worried glances, but knew nothing they could say would have any affect on her.
"No thank you."
Rachel nodded and she smiled as her gaze rested on Christopher. "He's beautiful."
Rebecca smiled in response and sat lightly on the bed, careful not to awaken her sleeping son. "I know what you must be thinking... but I gave Kid every chance to get out of this. I didn't want to mess things up for him here."
"You don't have to explain anything to me, you hear? I'm the last person to be judging anyone.... Now, you get some rest and I'll see you in the mornin'. If you need anything, my room is right down the hall. We eat breakfast early around here in the bunkhouse."
"The bunkhouse?"
"Don't worry, Kid'll give you a tour tomorrow and you'll be introduced to everyone in the mornin'. They're really a good bunch and I'm sure you'll feel at home real soon."
"Thank you so much... for everything." Rebecca replied, tears clouding her eyes.
Rachel just smiled and glanced once more at Christopher before leaving the room and closing the door behind her. She couldn't help but like the girl, even though she felt like she was betraying Lou. She didn't know the story yet, and she had every intention of finding out the details as she walked down the hall.
You have no one to blame but yourself Louise, she thought to herself. Hadn't Kid proposed to her twice before? She was so angry with herself, and with the Kid. How many other woman were there in his past? First Doritha, now Rebecca. It's not Kid's fault, he's just doin' what's right. That's what I love most about him, his need to do right. He has a son to take care of now. He wants to be the father he never had.
She balled her fists and sucked in several deep breaths, trying to get control over herself. How was she going to live so close to Kid and his new family? She didn't think she could bear it, not for long away. She curled into a tight ball, willing the sudden thoughts of Kid and Rebecca locked in a passionate embrace away. Kid wasn't hers anymore. Maybe he never was.
She wiped the remaining tears from her eyes and resolved to cry no more. Her tears wouldn't bring Kid back, or make Rebecca disappear. She wouldn't make it harder for Kid or the others by moping about. No matter how much she hurt on the inside, she wouldn't let the others know. She wouldn't let anyone in, ever again.
She smiled self-consciously and asked, "Somethin' the matter?"
"No... it's just that you look beautiful." Kid answered shyly.
"Thank you."
"I saw the light from under the door and just wanted to see if you were all right." Kid explained.
"I'm fine. Rachel's a nice woman."
"Yeah, she is. Well, I best be gettin' to bed. I'll see you in the mornin'." Kid said as he started to back away.
"Sweet dreams, Kid." Rebecca whispered as she planted a gentle kiss on his cheek.
He turned a bright shade of red and muttered something that she couldn't make out. She laughed lightly as she closed the door and shook her head as she turned out the lamp. Maybe this won't be so bad after all, she thought as she pulled the covers over her weary body.
But what else could he do? He'd been running from things his entire life and he knew it was time to stop running and face reality. He had a son to take care of and he would be a great father, not like the one he had. He vowed that he'd make up for his father's mistakes and be admired by his son.
He finally reached the bunkhouse and opened the door. The room was dimly lit as the others were getting ready for bed. To his relief, Lou was tucked under her blankets and seemed to be asleep. She didn't stiffen when he walked closer to look at her. He could see the dried tears on her face and guilt raged in his heart, but he turned quickly and started to get undressed, ignoring the stares of the others.
Cody was the blonde, joker of the bunch. He had a voracious appetite for both food and books and was one of the best distance shooters in the group. Noah was probably the most serious of the bunch. A free black man, Noah had seen many things, which showed in his dark eyes. Buck was the half Kiowa-half white rider who seemed to carry the weight of both his worlds on his shoulders. He'd recently lost his best friend, Ike McSwain, another rider, and had never been the same since. Jimmy, who was out on a ride, was Kid's best friend. His wrongly-earned reputation weighed heavily on him and colored his relationship with others. Then there was Lou, or Louise. Kid hadn't said much about her and there had been a sadness in his eyes when he mentioned her. He said her name like a caress and Rebecca knew they had been something special to each other.
Rebecca smiled shyly at the riders and sat down next to Kid, pulling Christopher on her lap. Kid patted her knee reassuringly as he introduced to each of the riders. Everyone greeted her warmly, except for Lou, whose eyes and voice were devoid of emotion. She wasn't hostile, just cold and unfeeling.
Breakfast went rather smoothly and Rebecca was relieved. Rachel had been right. The riders were warm-hearted and seemed to readily accept her presence. The conversation was a little slow and tense at first, but soon Rebecca found herself laughing heartily as Cody and Noah exchanged insults.
"Rebecca, that is a beautiful ring." Rachel breathed as her eye rested on the wedding band. An eerie silence descended upon the room and Kid shifted uncomfortably.
"Uh... thank you." Rebecca responded quietly. Rachel sensed the change in the room and sought to return things to normal.
"Well, don't you boys have chores to get to? Who's run is it anyway?" "It's mine." Buck responded as he stood to attend to his chores.
The others filed out after him, except for Kid. He smiled at Rebecca an tousled Christopher's hair. "You gonna be all right?"
"Yes, I'll just help Rachel with the dishes." Rebecca responded.
Kid nodded and finally left the bunkhouse, leaving the two women alone. Rebecca turned to Rachel and cleared her throat. "What's the story with Kid and Louise?" she asked without preamble.
"What do you mean?" Rachel asked as she began to clear the table.
"If I were blind, deaf, and dumb I'd still know that they were special to each other once."
"Well, they were, until yesterday." Rachel replied, though not unkindly.
"I see... I think this ring was meant for her Rachel. I never realized that Kid was involved with someone... I never would have agreed to this if I'd have known."
"Don't you worry about that Rebecca... Kid is stubborn. Once he's made up his mind, there's no changing it. It ain't your fault." Rachel soothed as she covered the younger woman's hand. "No come on, let's get this kitchen cleaned up."
Rebecca nodded and smiled, relieved. She didn't know how much she wanted this woman's approval until that moment. She was glad Rachel didn't seem to hold anything against her. None of the riders seemed to, but she knew very well how looks could be deceiving.
Lou looked up, slightly startled by the familiar voice that echoed through the stable. The boys had all made themselves scarce, afraid to be around her. They all seemed to be walking on eggshells. Kid stood before her, his hat in his hand.
"About what?" Lou asked, her voice sounding strange, even to her.
"About this situation."
"There's nothing to talk about Kid."
Kid, flustered by her lack of emotion walked closer. "There's a lot to talk about Lou..."
"Look Kid, you don't have to feel guilty 'bout anything. You made your choice."
"It ain't that easy Lou."
"Seems easy to me Kid."
"Dammit Lou, what's wrong with you?"
"I don't know what you're talkin' about Kid."
"Hit me, spit in my face, yell at me, just do somethin'."
"Would that change anything?"
"No..."
"So why waste the time?" Lou asked as she started to walk past him.
Kid grabbed her arm and stopped her. "You can't fool me Lou, I know you're upset."
"What do you want?" Lou asked angrily as she pulled her arm away.
"I want to know that you're all right. I want to know how you feel."
"You don't have the right to ask me Kid... you gave up that right when you married Rebecca."
"Lou, you have to understand--"
"Understand? Understand what, Kid? Understand that you married another woman? Well, I'm sorry, but that's askin' too much."
Kid lowered his head as he whispered, "I love you Lou."
Lou looked at him angrily and her eyes flashed. "Don't you dare say that Kid. You don't love me, maybe you never did."
Now it was Kid's turn to look angry. "I've always loved you...it was you who didn't love me. You can go on and blame me, or Rebecca all you want, but I want you to remember one thing... you're the one who wasn't 'ready' for marriage when I asked you." Kid spat viciously as he stormed out of the barn, slamming the door.
Lou couldn't reply because she knew what he said was true. Instead, she turned to walk to Lightning's stall where she began to saddle her horse. She needed to get away from there, as fast as possible.
He dismounted his palomino and stretched his aching legs. Cody and Noah approached him, smiling foolishly. They definitely had some news and Jimmy tried to hide his smile.
"Have a good ride Jimmy?" Cody asked.
"It was all right... what are you two grinnin' about?"
"Well... Kid's done gone and got hitched." Cody laughed.
"What...?"
"Yup...went to the preacher yesterday. Didn't even have the decency to invite us." Noah joked.
"That doesn't really sound like Kid and Lou..."
A momentary shadow passed over both rider's faces as they looked at each other. They were spared from having to answer when Kid spoke from behind them. "I didn't marry Lou."
"Lou, can you and I have a little talk?" she asked quietly as she stood over the smaller woman.
All Lou wanted to do at that point was to get as far away from Rebecca as possible, but she knew that at some point she'd have to have the dreaded 'chat', and she decided it was better to get it over with. She slowly nodded her head and stood up.
"I know that you and Kid were... well involved, and I know you two still care about each other."
"So?" Lou asked hotly
"Look, I know that this won't change how you feel at all, but I just wanted to let you know that I really do care for Kid and that I'll try my best to make him happy."
"This is what you came to talk about?" Lou asked bitterly.
Rebecca seemed a bit taken aback by the harshness of her tone, but didn't falter. "I just wanted us to be friends. I know it would mean a lot to the Kid."
Lou looked her in the eyes for a brief moment before responding. "Rebecca...that's not possible. I know you mean well, but it would be too hard for me. You and Kid are married and I have to accept that, but I can't be your friend."
Rebecca nodded in understanding and smiled sadly. "So, what are we gonna do?"
"Don't worry...I'm leavin'." Lou returned.
"You're leavin'? Does anyone know?"
"No...and no one is gonna know. I'm just gonna slip out tonight while everyone's asleep. I figure it'll be easier for everyone if I just go quietly."
"But Lou...you don't have to."
"Yes I do." Lou almost whispered as she turned to leave. She stopped abruptly however as the end of a rifle was shoved roughly into her ribs. She found herself face to face with a gruff looking man with a dangerous gleam in his eye. She turned as she heard Rebecca let out a cry of pain. She was sprawled on the ground and a handsome man stood over her, laughing.
"Thought you could get away, didn't you?" he sneered as he kicked her soundly.
"How did you find me?" She wailed.
"Funny what a bit of money'll do to get information." he returned. "Now, where's my boy?"
Lou let out a gasp, "Your boy?" She was silenced immediately as the man beside her hit her painfully with the butt of the gun. She was left breathless, gasping for air on the frozen ground.
The tall man approached her and bent down, grabbing a handful of hair and jerking her head back. "Yes, my boy... where is he?"
Lou stared back at him defiantly, even when he raised his hand and slapped her hard across the face. Frustrated, he quickly pulled his gun from his holster and shoved it against her temple. "I'm not going to ask you again." he said, clicking the hammer back.
TO BE CONTINUED Chapter II
Copyright 1998-This work is not to be reproduced without the permission of the author
The Way Station
Campfire Tales
