The field was littered with flowers and the express rider couldn’t resist stopping to smell them. Many different types of flowers were growing wild in this stretch of land, and Louise couldn’t recall a more beautiful sight. There was a wide variety of colors. Pink, lavender, yellow, white, and red. The sight was breath taking!

   Quietly, Lou halted Lightning and tied him to a near by tree. These flowers were too lovely to pass by. She sank down to the ground enjoying the blissful moment. Suddenly she picked a white daisy off its stem. Flowers always made her happy.

   “He loves me, he loves me not,” Lou sang softly to herself as she pulled the petals off one by one. Of course, flowers were not the most reliable source when it came to Love, and she already knew Kid loved her. Still, it was a fascinating game to play. “He loves me, he loves me...uh oh,” Lou cried as the last petal came off as not. “This flower can’t represent Kid,” she reasoned with herself.

   Quickly she grabbed another flower and began the petal elimination all over again. “He loves me, he loves me not,” She repeated over and over. Somewhere in between her plucking, her mind began to wander. It didn’t venture off to another subject besides love, but to another man. Jimmy Hickok. He was quite the man. Impulsive, handsome, and unbelievable devoted to those he cared about. Louise could definitely love him. He had one draw back though. Jimmy refused to believe that anyone could or would want to be with him. “Darn,” Louise exclaimed when she realized that she had forgotten where she was in her chant. “Guess I’ll just have to start over.”

   Once more Louise picked a beautiful flower to determine her love connections. Her third flower was lush red, and Lou secretly decided to use this flower to reveal Jimmy’s feelings for her. There had always been some flirting between them, but maybe there could be more. Her fingers gripped the soft, velvet petals, and pulled. “He loves me, he loves me not. Jimmy loves me, he loves me not.” The soft, whispering petals floated like feathers to the ground. “He loves me, he loves me not. He lov..” Lou began as she removed the last sign. “He loves me?!”

   The thought made her smile. Life as Jimmy’s girl would definitely be challenging, but also very rewarding. She fell back into the flower patch and stared up at the sky. Before long, Louise drifted off to a comfortable sleep.

   “Lou,” A handsome voice called. “Sweetheart, it’s time to wake up.” Her lover gently nudged her, encouraging her to wake up.

   “No,” Louise answered. “Just five more minutes.”

   “We’re already late,” Jimmy reminded the love of his life. His warm lips brushed her cheek softly, and he hoped that would help her rise. She smiled in response, but still refused to get up for the day. “Lou,” he stated mischievously. “If you don’t get up I’ll have to tickle you!”

   “You wouldn’t dare, James!” Louise stated confidently. Unfortunately she was wrong. Immediately he began tickling her belly. She squirmed wildly, giggling uncontrollably. “Okay, okay! You win!”

   She looked up into the soft eyes of her loving companion. Gracefully, he brushed her hair away from her face. She knew from experience that he was going to kiss her. His kisses were always passionate, and left her longing for more. Slowly he lowered his lips to meet hers and.....

   “Lou?” A voice called startling Lou from her peaceful slumber. “Lou wake up,” the gunfighter called.

   “Jimmy?” His presence made Louise blush. She could clearly recall her dream, and she hoped Jimmy hadn’t been there long. Sometimes Lou had a habit of talking in her sleep.

   “Yeah, it’s me.” He sat beside her in the field. “I can see why you stopped here,” Jimmy remarked to his companion as he glanced over the land.

   “The flowers are so pretty,” Lou commented once she had regained her composure. “What are you doing here?”

   “Oh, Teaspoon wants us to pick up a package in St. Joe,” Jimmy informed her. He couldn’t help but notice how adorable she looked lying in the mist of all the flowers. “We’d better get a move on though. We’re already late.”

   “Late?” Lou cried. Didn’t her ‘dream’ Jimmy say something about being late?

   “Yeah,” Jimmy began as he helped Louise to her feet. “We were suppose to leave this morning, but I couldn’t find you.”

   “Sorry,” Lou cried. “Do you have all the supplies we’ll need?”

   “Yeah,” Jimmy answered quickly.

   “Well,” Lou began as she made her way to her horse. “Guess we should get going.”

   “Here,” Jimmy called as he picked a flower and handed it to Lou. It was exactly like the one she had picked for them earlier.

   “Thanks,” Lou stated, throwing him a curious smile. “Jimmy? How long were you here before I woke up?”

   “Not long,” Jimmy lied. He had been watching Louise for some time before she fell asleep. She was the most remarkable girl he had ever met. Jimmy always wondered why she couldn’t feel the long gazes he sent her. He loved observing this beautiful girl which is why he let her fall into a peaceful slumber. “He loves you,” he thought to himself as they mounted their horses and rode off to St. Joe. “How could I not?”

   The biggest chance Jimmy had ever taken was admitting his feelings for Lou to himself. Although they shared a mutual attraction, Jimmy fought his emotions for the longest time. He tried to convince himself that Lou wasn’t the woman for him, but every day that grew harder. Her sweet brown eyes shined with all the love and affection she could give a man. After a while, it seemed like all he did was think of her.

   A wise person once told him that sometimes to love means to let go, and Lord knows he’s tried to let Lou go. But that woman had a way of staking her claim in your heart without even knowing it. She was the love of his life. The thought of never being able to share a life with her sadden him. If only he could change the past. He’d give up living by the gun, and become the type of man Lou deserved. Also, he would do his best to discover the beauty before Kid. Why not eliminate the competition while he was at it? Jimmy looked over at his companion, and was surprised to find her eyeing him curiously.

   “Here,” Lou stated as she rode up beside him and placed the flower in his hand. “I think you need this more than me,” she gave him a thoughtful smile. Quickly she encouraged Lightning to pick up the pace. Jimmy watched her ride a head of him.

   “Hell,” he exclaimed as he looked at the flower. “She loves me, she loves me not.” Tearing the petals off the delicate flower was a risk he wasn’t sure he really wanted to take, but there was no going back now. “She loves me, she loves me not,” he said, realizing that one petal remained on his present, and he dared not remove it. That last petal symbolized a chance that Lou indeed felt the same love for him.

   Louise smiled as she shifted her secret gaze away from her fellow express rider. Jimmy had failed to notice Lou watching him. She suspected he would play the flower game. “How adorable,” she stated to herself. Of course, Louise already knew the last petal would be “loves”. It wasn’t because she believed in fate or destiny. Not that she didn’t either. Lou knew the out come because she had rigged it. She had counted the petals, and removed one so that the last petal would promise love. Not anyone’s love, but the love she could give him. Hopefully, this would encourage James to make his move. A girl can’t wait forever!