Part I
By Kathryn
Rachel waited until the boys were all seated before she started to dish up their supper, but before she could even start Kid was on his feet.
"Rachel, before we eat I got an announcement I want to make." He said nervously.
"Well make it quick Kid, you’re holding up dinner" Cody demanded. Rachel shushed him and turned back to Kid.
"What is it Kid?"
"Well, the thing is, you see, ah, well it’s just that" he began haltingly. "Me and Eliza are gonna get married." he finished in a rush.
A stunned silence filled the bunkhouse.
"That is a surprise Kid" said Rachel, being the first to find her voice. "And if you’re happy, then we’re all happy for you. Isn’t that right, boys?" she said, moving around the table to hug him.
The others nodded halfheartedly, still not sure if they had heard him right.
"Does Lou know?" Noah asked the inevitable question.
"Yeah, I told her this afternoon when she got back, oh and Eliza wanted me to invite you all to supper tomorrow night." Kid said, changing the subject.
"All of us?" Rachel asked carefully.
"You and Teaspoon too, Rachel. Eliza wants to get to know you all." he said, deliberately misunderstanding her question.
"That ain’t what I meant Kid."
"She wouldn’t go." he said simply.
"I don’t know Kid," Jimmy broke in. "Lou might surprise you."
"That’s what I’m afraid of." He picked up his coat and moved towards the door. "I can’t stay for supper, I’m meeting Eliza in town."
They watched the door close behind him and sat silently as the food was served, Cody shook his head, as if to clear it.
"He’s marrying Eliza? Is that what he said?" Jimmy nodded "That’s sure what it sounded like." he said.
"I wonder how Lou took it, I haven’t seen her at all since she got back." Rachel said, glancing worriedly at the door.
"I’m sure she’s fine," Noah assured her, "She probably just didn’t want us all sitting around watching her, trying to guess how she’s going to react."
"You’re probably right," Rachel sighed, she hated to see one of her children in pain
The meal was one of quietest any of the riders had shared in some time, and apart from a small squabble over clearing the table, the rest of the evening progressed in much the same way. Each occupied with their own thoughts on Kid’s surprising announcement.
Rachel was sweeping the back steps the next morning, when Lou came around the corner of the house. Her clothes were rumpled and dirty and she had dust and her face and in her hair, but to Rachel's relief, she didn’t look as if she’d been crying.
"Mornin’ Rachel."
"Mornin’ Lou, I was beginning to think you weren’t coming back."
"I just had some thinking to do." she sat on the steps and Rachel sat down beside her.
"You missed breakfast, would you like me to fix you something to eat?"
"No thanks Rachel, I’ m not hungry."
"Well, lunch is in a little bit." She laid a hand on Lou’s arm. "So, are you okay?"
"Yeah, I think I am. You know, I should have seen this coming, I mean after what happened with Samantha the last time we broke up. And besides, she’s everything he wants, everything he tried to make me into." Lou said before Rachel could say anything more, she’d practiced it all the way home, and it came out sounding almost like she believed it herself.
"How do you mean?" Rachel asked, knowing full well that she was supposed to.
"Well you know as well as anyone that half the time we were together we were fighting, the other half we were making up, but we were always fighting about the same thing. Him being too protective or possessive, or not thinking I can look after myself. And he always wanted me to be more of a lady, I mean look at me," she ran her hand through her hair and shook the dust out of it, "He hated it when I looked like this, at least with Eliza he’ll never have to worry about her dressing as a man." Rachel put her arm around Lou’s dusty shoulder.
"Well that was very good, now why don't you tell me how you really feel?"
"Oh I don’t know Rachel, I was awake almost all night and all I could come up with is that Kid will be happier being married to Eliza than he was not being married to me."
"Well I have been doing some thinking too, Louise, and it occurred to me that maybe Kid is marrying Eliza because he thinks that you don’t want him back?"
Lou jumped too her feet and swung round to face Rachel. "It’s him that doesn’t want me Rachel, I said I wouldn’t marry him but I never said I didn’t love him, just because I wasn’t ready to get married didn’t mean I wanted to end our relationship. He ended it and then took up with her, with barely a break in between. Again." Lou said bitterly.
"Do you still love him?"
"It doesn’t matter now, does it."
"Of course it does." Rachel exclaimed, getting to her feet, "If you still love him you have to tell him, maybe if he knew it would change the way he feels about Eliza."
"Or I could just end up humiliating myself, I think the expression is beating a dead horse. He’s with Eliza now, and he’s staying with her."
As if on cue Eliza came round the corner.
"Excuse me, Mrs. Dunne, may I speak with you for a moment?" she asked looking from Rachel to Lou. Lou lowered her head and looked away.
"I got to be going anyway Rachel" she said, as she walked back to the bunkhouse she wondered how much of the conversation Eliza had overheard, it would have sounded mighty strange to someone who didn’t know her secret. Lou couldn’t help but smile at the thought.
"Please, call me Rachel." Rachel said as she led Eliza into the kitchen. "Would you like some coffee?" They exchanged small talk about the weather while the water boiled.
"The reason I came over Mrs. Dunne, Rachel, is well, I was wondering if you could help me plan what to serve tonight. You will be coming, won’t you? It’s just that I want to make a good impression on you all, I know you’re all very important to Kid and, well I want things to go well. Sometimes I get the feeling that the others don’t like me, it’s like I’ve trespassed on private property."
"Well, it really isn’t important how the others feel, it’s Kid that loves you."
"Yes, I know, but you’re all Kid’s family, your opinions matter to him."
"Well if you want to make a good impression on these boys, the way to do it is through their stomachs." Rachel laughed. She couldn’t help but like the girl who would go to the trouble of trying to please Kid’s friends to make him happy. She also felt a pang of guilt for liking her, deep in her heart she hoped that Kid and Louise would get back together, and she also hoped that this sweet girl wouldn’t be hurt to badly if they did. Rachel didn’t believe that Kid was capable of using Eliza to make Louise jealous, but she knew it would seem that way to Eliza, if they did get back together. Rachel gave her some recipes and promised come over early to help out.
Lou slowed her stride as she saw Kid leave the bunkhouse, she gave a sigh of relief that he didn’t see her as he headed to the barn, at least she could avoid him a little longer. She worried that if they came face to face he might want to talk to her, or that he might not.
Kid entered the barn, squinting in the darkness, after the bright morning sunshine.
"You really are a fool, you know that?" A voice said from the shadows.
"What do you want Jimmy?"
"Well, I just wanted to know if you’ve hit you head or something? Cause I just can’t believe that you are really going to marry her. You’re giving up one the most wonderful women in the world, to marry this girl you’ve known less than a month." Jimmy said moving closer.
"What’s the matter Jimmy? I would have thought you of all people would be pleased about this. Or is it that you’ve realized that Lou still doesn’t want you, but now you can’t tell yourself that it’s because of me." Kid said, turning away, his eyes still had not fully adjusted to the darkness of the barn so he didn’t see the fist that connected solidly with his jaw. The blow stunned him and he dropped to the floor.
"You don’t deserve someone like Louise, I want you to think about what you’ve given up and remember her when you’ve been married to your little schoolteacher for ten years." Jimmy left him lying there, before he could respond.
Jimmy was pretty sure Lou was back from wherever she had gone the night before, since Lightning was now back in the barn. He went to the bunkhouse first and found her sitting on the edge of her bed
"Hey, Lou. What are you doing?" She looked up at him, her eyes sad.
"Just thinkin’."
"I won’t ask what about, are you okay?" He asked moving closer.
"I’m not going to cry, if that's what you mean. I did that last night, and for the last time." She sighed, blinking rapidly to hold back the threatening tears. "Jimmy, I haven't told anyone else yet, but I'm leaving."
"Leaving? You’re quitting? You can’t do that."
"Yes I can, I can’t stay here anymore. I can't be here to watch them get married, have children, be a family. There's nothing left for me to stay here for."
"What about the rest of us, we're your family, aren’t we worth staying for?"
"I thought you would understand, it's just too hard to see them together."
"It used to be that you'd never give up on something you cared about."
"Things change Jimmy." she said wearily
"Lou, promise that you’ll think about it a little more, before you do anything."
"Sure thing Jimmy, but I don’t think I’ll change my mind. Are you going to dinner with them?" Lou asked, changing the subject.
"I think I just uninvited myself." Jimmy said holding up his bruised knuckles.
Just then the bunkhouse door flew open, Kid stood in the doorway, his fists clenched, his cheek already turning an ugly purple. Lou jumped to her feet to step between them, only to be pushed aside by Jimmy.
"That was a cheap shot Jimmy, but then you never could take me in a fair fight." Kid’s quick fist caught Jimmy by surprise and he stumbled backwards, Lou grabbed Kid’s arm to prevent another blow.
"Stop it Kid." She yelled. "You’re even now." Kid shook her off his arm.
"I guess you’re right. I don’t expect to see you at dinner tonight." He said to Jimmy as he turned to leave, slamming the door behind him.
"Looks like its just you and me staying in tonight, we’re going to starve." She said bitterly. Jimmy laughed at her joke about the lack of cooking skills between the two of them, touching his eye gingerly.
"That’s a heck of a right he’s got, although I should know that by now." He sat down on the nearest bunk. "Well, at least with him getting married, he won’t be hitting me so much for spending time with you. But then I won’t be, cause you’re leaving." He said in a faintly accusatory way. Lou was saved from answering when the door burst open again.
"So do we have to get them a present, or not?" Cody demanded, earning himself an elbow in the ribs from Noah, who jerked his head towards Lou. Cody carried on oblivious. "Kid sure does seem to have a thing for school teachers, first Samantha and now Eliza, course he was never engaged to Samantha." he said moving out of reach of Noah's elbow.
"It’s all right, I was just leaving anyway." As she stepped out onto the porch she wondered how long it would be before she wouldn’t have to leave the room so as not to interrupt the conversations of the others, probably forever if she stayed. But that seemed impossible now.
Lou walked over to the corral, just watching the horses always made her feel better. As she climbed up to sit on the fence her head started to spin. She held on tightly to the fence rails and carefully climbed down again, but the dizziness didn’t fade. Lou slid to the ground, unable to do anything else. Once her surroundings stopped spinning she got slowly to her feet, she wiped a clammy hand over her brow and moved back into the shade of the bunkhouse porch. She told herself it was just that she hadn’t had any breakfast and had only a little to eat the night before that caused her lightheadedness, but still she was glad that she didn’t have a run for a few days. She leaned her head against her hands and prayed no-one would come out and see her this way.
She looked up when she heard a rider approaching, she got up and unhitched Noah’s horse from the rail as she called out to him. He ran out of the bunkhouse and vaulted up onto his horse within a couple of seconds. The hand over went smoothly and Buck drew his fatigued horse up and dismounted, Lou took the reins from him.
"I’ll take care of him for you."
"Thanks Lou." he said retrieving his bedroll.
"Don’t take too long Lou, lunch is almost ready." Rachel called after her. The mention of food made Lou’s stomach turn over.
"It’s all right Rachel, I’m not hungry." she called back, she could feel Rachel’s eyes on her back as she led the horse into the barn and hoped she wouldn’t make a fuss.
"Don’t worry Rachel, we won’t let Lou’s food go to waste." Cody said reaching for the untouched plate. Rachel slapped his hand away and picked up the plate.
"Don’t you dare, Billy. I’ll just take this out to her." She covered the plate with a napkin and went out to the barn.
"Lou? Are you in here?" she called. She was answered from the far corner of the barn. "I rescued your lunch from Cody." she said moving forward.
"Thanks Rachel, but I’m really not hungry." Rachel found her on an overturned bucket in the darkest corner.
"But you must be, you didn’t have anything this morning." she said, holding the plate. "You have to eat something or you’ll get sick." Rachel was shocked when Lou suddenly burst into tears, she dropped the dish and ran forward. "Lou, honey, what's the matter?" Rachel put her arms around her as Lou cried onto her shoulder.
"Oh, Rachel, I don’t know what to do." she sobbed brokenly.
"Honey, it’ll be okay. Everything will work out, you’ll see."
"How? How Rachel, he’s marrying someone else. I never really believed he would." she wiped her tears away with the back of her hand. "I don’t understand how he can go from me to her, just like that, we didn’t even fight. When I turned down his proposal, he just started acting like I wasn’t there. He wouldn’t talk to me, or even look at me and now he’s going to marry someone else. It’s like I never mattered to him."
"You know that’s not true." Rachel said, trying to calm her down.
"If I really did mean something to him then how can he say that he loves her, how can he marry her?"
"I don’t know honey, but I do know that Kid’s always been pretty set on getting married and maybe he just thought you’d never say yes." Lou stared at her, the hurt evident on her face. "Now I’m not saying that it’s your fault," Rachel said soothingly. "There were probably things that both of you meant to, but didn’t say. And when that happens people get the wrong idea."
Lou lay on her bunk, listening to Buck snoring on the other side of the room and feeling guilty about not helping the others with the chores. But when she had stood to leave the barn with Rachel, the dizziness had returned and Rachel had ordered her to bed for the rest of the day. She awoke with a start sometime later, surprised that she had fallen asleep. Rachel leaned over her.
"Are you feeling better now?" she asked, checking her forehead for fever.
"Yeah, Rachel I feel fine now."
"That’s good but I want you to stay right where you are. There’s some stew for you and Jimmy, it just needs to be heated up and it’ll be fine. And I want you to eat it young lady." she said in her best mother hen voice.
"I will, I promise. Don’t worry about me, I’m feeling better honest."
Rachel gave her one last concerned look before she left, and was relieved to get a smile in return. But she still made one stop before going to Eliza’s to help prepare the dinner party.
"Rachel said I have to make sure you eat this." Jimmy said, putting the stew on the stove to heat. "And if you don’t she said I’d have to clean out the stables for the next two weeks."
"Don’t worry Jimmy, you’re safe from the stables." Her stomach growled as the rich aroma filled the room, then suddenly it turned against her. Lou leapt to her feet and ran for the door, she leaned over the porch rail as her stomach rose up into her throat. Jimmy, a few steps behind, helped her back inside when she sagged weakly over the rail. She clapped her hand over her mouth as her stomach protested the scent of the stew once again. They retreated to the porch and sat on the steps, Jimmy got her some water, which she sipped slowly.
"Are you all right?" Jimmy asked, not knowing what else to say. "Should I get Rachel?" Lou shook her head.
"No, I’ll be okay . Don’t bother her."
"But if you’re sick, she might be able to help."
"If I just sit out here for a bit I’ll be all right, please I don’t want Rachel to worry."
"It’s sorta her job to worry about us," he looked down at her, hoping she’d see reason, his eyes met hers. "Okay, but if you’re still sick in the morning you have to tell her. Or go to a doctor." he growled.
"I promise, now go and eat your dinner before it gets cold." Jimmy got to his feet and went back into the bunkhouse, but he returned a few moments later, laying her jacket over her shoulders and handing her more water and a piece of bread. She gave him a weak smile in return and nibbled on the bread as the door closed behind him.
"You sure can cook up a fine meal, Kid’s a lucky man." Cody said, finishing a second helping of dessert. Eliza blushed with pride.
"Well thank you, but I must say that I had help from Rachel." She said busying herself collecting dishes.
"Oh, now I hardly did anything." Rachel protested as she rose to her feet, taking the dishes from Eliza. "I’ll take care of these, you stay with your guests."
Rachel stared absently out of the kitchen window as she washed the plates, wondering how Lou was. She had been shocked when Lou had almost fainted in the barn, of course Lou had tried to pass it off as nothing, but Rachel knew that something was wrong.
In the bunkhouse Jimmy was having similar thoughts himself. He pushed the stew around his plate, hardly eating any, wondering if he should have gone to get Rachel. He had been about to insist on it, when he made the mistake of looking at her, her dark eyes silently pleading with him. He knew she hated to show any sort of weakness, but if there was something really wrong, if something happened to her, and he hadn’t done anything when he should have. He pushed the thought away and stared at the door wondering if he should go back out and sit with her. Would he be intruding? He got to his feet then hesitated, unsure. Before he could make up his mind, the door opened and Lou came in. She looked at him reluctantly, her eyes shadowed by dark circles that stood out on her still pale skin like bruises. It seemed to Jimmy to make her look smaller, more vulnerable. He knew it wouldn’t be a good idea to say that.
"Are you feeling better?" She didn’t look any better.
"Yeah, I feel fine." She didn’t feel any better. "I’m going to get some sleep, I’m sure I’ll be better in the morning." Jimmy picked up the half empty plate that he had, moments before, pushed away.
"I’ll finish this outside, I don’t want to keep you awake." Outside he leaned on the porch rail, his dinner cold and forgotten in his hand, he watched the stars come out one by one, and the moon rise, covering the small town in silver light.
On the other side of town a couple stood watching the same moon. Teaspoon, Rachel and the other riders had left a few minutes ago leaving Kid and Eliza alone. He put his arm around her shoulders and she leaned against him. "I’m so glad dinner went well, I think everyone enjoyed themselves. I’m sorry your other friends couldn't make it, I would have liked to meet them."
Kid thought quickly. "Well they wanted to come, but they have to leave early in the morning. Teaspoon didn’t want them staying out too late. Speaking of which, I promised Rachel I’d be getting back soon, I had better go." He kissed her goodnight and then waited on the porch until she was back inside and he heard her lock the door. He smiled to himself as he walked back to the bunkhouse, dinner had gone well and everyone had seemed to like Eliza. He hadn’t been sure when she had suggested making dinner for everyone, he had thought that some of the others wouldn’t go, out of loyalty to Lou. And apart from Jimmy he had been proved wrong. He hadn’t meant to get so angry at Jimmy, he honestly thought that he would be happy for him. After all just about the only thing they had ever fought about was Lou, now they had no reason to fight. He knew he’d hurt Lou when they broke up and when he told her he was marrying Eliza, and Jimmy was never happy with him when he hurt Lou, but she had hurt him too when she turned down his proposal. But that didn’t matter now, if she didn’t want to get married that was all right, but he did. Not that he was marrying Eliza just because he wanted to get married, no he loved her, maybe not the way he had loved Lou, but that didn’t matter now either. What mattered was that he and Eliza loved each other and they were going to be married.
The next morning Jimmy watched Lou from across the table, she knew he was keeping an eye on her and so she took great delight in wolfing down her breakfast and even beating Cody to asking for seconds. They all looked up as Teaspoon came in, he took the plate Rachel offered him and took his seat at the head of the table. Between mouthfuls of food he outlined the chores he had planned for them that day.
"And Lou, I got a package I want you to deliver to Black Creek, come and get it from me at the office when you’re ready to leave." He got to his feet, "As usual Rachel you have out done yourself. The rest of you have work to do, you can’t sit around all day get moving." he said gruffly at the door. Lou was halfway to the barn when Jimmy caught her.
"Are you sure you should be going?" he asked
"Yes Jimmy." she answered.
"Well I could go for you, if you wanted."
"No. Thank you Jimmy."
She made it to the barn and was saddling Lightning when she sensed someone watching her. She looked up expecting to see Jimmy again and as surprised to see Eliza Luckton standing in the doorway. She looked distinctly out of place, and kept glancing nervously about, as if expecting someone to tell her to leave. Lou took in the fashionably cut, and perfectly spotless, dress and felt a small twinge of envy as she realized how she must look dressed as a boy. Eliza stopped a few paces away from her as if unsure about how to proceed.
"Kid’s not here." Lou said, hoping she would leave
"Actually it’s you I wanted to talk to," she took another hesitant step forward. "I wanted to tell you that if you were going to do anything, to try to get Kid to go back to you, that it wouldn’t work. We’re engaged, he’s going to marry me. And I’m sure that we both know that Kid would never break his word, to a lady." Eliza quickly turned on her heel and hurried away from the barn, not that Lou noticed. He had told her secret, betrayed her trust, to Eliza of all people. Not that she shouldn’t have seen this coming, she tried to tell herself, what was a betrayal of trust to someone who had already betrayed her heart.
She stood for several minutes, her head resting against Lightning’s neck, Lightning neighed softly, sympathizing with her.
"You still love me, don’t you girl." she sighed.
The ride to Black Creek was uneventful. Teaspoon’s package turned out to be for an old friend of his, who was the current sheriff in Black Creek. Lou figured that Teaspoon had devised the trip to give her some time away, she knew she was right when she arrived in the sheriff’s office.
"I don’t know why Teaspoon is sending this to me now, I’m going to be passing through Rock Creek in about a month. Looks like he’s trying to get rid of you boy, you make him mad or something?" The sheriff laughed, Lou just shrugged.
"I guess."
Later, after deciding to check into the hotel for the night, Lou changed into the dress she had brought, just in case, and went down to the dining room. She had barely been seated when she started feeling nauseous, and much to the surprise of the other diners, she leapt to her feet and ran from the room. She stood in the cool night air and took a deep breath, then several more, after a while her stomach calmed down and she returned to her room. Maybe Jimmy was right, she thought, tomorrow she would go and see the doctor before she left town.
"Well now," the doctor said, looking at Lou over the top of his glasses. "From everything you’ve told me young lady I would have to say you’re pregnant."
"What?" Lou asked incredulously.
"Well, apart from getting your morning sickness in the evening, everything else seems perfectly normal, You’re going to have a baby, Mrs. McCloud.
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
