The Marshal sat in his office, watching the young boy sit depressingly in the corner. The boy hadn't been himself ever since his first love broke his heart. Teaspoon sympathized with the young boy he and Rachel had 'adopted'. Nothing hurt worse than a broken heart. He thought Jesse had gotten over her after she sat him down for a heart-to-heart talk. Wasn't nothing Jesse could do to win her over, even with the love letters Teaspoon helped him write. Lou was already spoken for, and too old for a fourteen year old boy. "Only time will help," Teaspoon reasoned with himself. Sometimes, it made ya wish time would move just a little faster to ease the pain.
" Jesse," Teaspoon called to the boy. "Ya wanna talk about it?" Judging by the boy's closed expression he guessed no. " It just might help."
"Doubt it," Jesse answered quickly. Lou was the girl of his dreams. Strong, independent, daring, and real pretty. All those letters he sent her, and Kid was the one who got the reward.
"I know what your going through, son." Teaspoon had many heart breaks. "I might have the reputation now of being a ladies' man, but it wasn't always this way." Quietly, Teaspoon crossed the room and found a spot beside the boy. "I've had so many heart aches, I couldn't count 'em on all my fingers and toes."
"Really?" Jesse was surprised. After seeing how Lou responded to the letters Teaspoon had helped him write, he pictured the Marshal being able to woo any woman.
"Yep. I can still recall the first young lass that took a piece of my heart," Teaspoon informed the young boy.
"How old were ya?" Jesse asked curiously.
"Eight. But I loved her more than my little black pony," Teaspoon stated matter-of-factly. "She had soft blonde hair, and I chased her all around town trying to win her affection."
"You were eight?" Jesse cried. "What happened?"
"Well, one day I caught up with her and gave her a big wet kiss." The memory played in his mind, and he couldn't help but smile.
"Did she like it?" The young boy always found Teaspoon's stories interesting.
"Nope." Teaspoon stated. "After that I feared love."
"She broke your heart pretty bad, huh?" Jesse inquired sympathetically.
"Not exactly. She punched me square in the nose." He could still recall the annoyed look on the girl's face. Obviously, she wasn't ready for a commitment. Jesse couldn't help but laugh softly. At least Lou hadn't taken a swing at him! "Course that was just puppy love," Teaspoon explained. "What you're feeling for Lou is just about the same thing."
"I don't think so," Jesse replied seriously. "I think about her all the time."
"I know son, but I thought about a lot of girls all the time before I felt true love."
"How do you know when it's true love then?" Jesse demanded.
"You just do," Teaspoon answered. "Son, your too young let your heart be forever captured by the first pretty lady that comes your way."
"Lou ain't no ordinary lady," the young boy justified. "I've never met anyone like her. Have you?"
"Well, no. Can't say that I have, but that don't mean she's the only girl for you." Teaspoon declared. Lou was a remarkable girl and Teaspoon could understand why Jesse had been so attracted to her. Hell, he had two boys living with her that routinely battled it out for her affection. "The older you are, the better your chances with the ladies gets," Teaspoon informed the boy.
" How old were you when you started becoming a ladies' man?" Jesse asked seriously. He wanted to know when his love chances might begin to improve.
"Oh, probably about the same age as Hickok," Teaspoon confided in the spirited boy. "One thing I've learned over the years is that love and women are a difficult trade. As old as I am now, I still don't have 'em quite figured out."
"You'd think by how many times you've married, that you'd be an expert by now," Jesse stated puzzled.
"Yep. Six times, and all of them were completely different from the other," Teaspoon reassured the boy. Relationships were never simple. It was all most if there was some hidden rule that forbid anything so precious as love to be easy.
"If loves suppose to be such a wonderful thing, then how come I feel so bad?" The young boy didn't understand why love wasn't working out for him.
"That's a tough one. I often wondered the same thing," Teaspoon confided in the boy. He knew the boy would get over Lou eventually. Lou was a crush, and not a serious love. Once you have loved someone so much you'd give you life for them, things got real tricky. Kid would sacrifice his life for Lou's in a blink of an eye. Teaspoon had a feeling Hickok would do the same. Hell, all the boys would but for a more brotherly love. What the Kid and Hickok felt for the spirited lass was more romantic. Of course, he had to give credit to his female rider. She would risk her life for the others as well. Especially Kid or Jimmy.
"Well," Jesse began as he made his way to the door. "I think I'll get some air."
"Son," Teaspoon called before the boy left. "Just remember, your gonna find another to love, and she just might return the favor. For all you know, love's coming right around the corner." The boy just nodded his head, and left the Marshal's Office.
After Jesse left Teaspoon, he immediately decided not to go visit the riders. Lou might be there, and he didn't feel like seeing her for a while. Instead, he decided to head to the livery stable and finish some chores. As he rounded the corner, 'Bam'!
"Oh," the young girl cried as her and Jesse collided into each other. "I'm sorry!"
"No," Jesse said quickly. "It's my fault." He noticed that his companion had dropped her books, and immediately bent down to pick them up. "Thank you," she replied after Jesse gently returned her books. "I'm Faith Higgins. I'm new here."
"Really?" Jesse asked, feeling his spirits lift. Faith was real pretty. Her strawberry locks were curly, and she had remarkable blue eyes. "My name's Jesse. I could show you around if you want?"
"Sure," Faith said shyly. "So what's this town like?"
Walking down the street, Jesse informed his new crush about the town, its people, the marshal, and the school's teacher, Rachel. He even invited her over for supper that very night. Yep, love was a strange thing. "Maybe I'm destined to be a ladies man like Teaspoon," Jesse thought curiously to himself as Faith looked over the express horses. Having many loves didn't seem that bad to Jesse. Of course, he would always give Lou the honor of being his first love. She was unforgettable! However, Teaspoon was right. It don't mean there can't be others.
The End
Copyright 1998-This work is not to be reproduced without the permission of the author