The remaining petal foretold of Lou’s possible love, and Jimmy felt a soothing feeling consume him. His returned gift had brought a joyful sensation that was swallowing his heart. The last petal that promised love still clung to its stem, and refused to let go like undying hope. As he gazed at the red petal, he noted the hope it brought. It symbolized a chance with Lou that he wasn’t sure he could take. Not with his past and present life. But then, wasn’t this flower’s delicate petal a symbol? Lou’s sweet voice broke him from his thoughts, and he immediately hid his treasure.

   “So?” Lou inquired as she gazed upon him with a smile.

   “What?” Jimmy asked nervously. He had a bad feeling Lou had noticed his game.

   “It’s a sign, isn’t it?” Lou questioned as she turned Lightning around to face Jimmy.

   Now Jimmy felt very uncomfortable. Less than a minute ago he had been contentedly lost in his own thoughts, but now he felt trapped. How was he going to explain removing the delicate petals off the flower she had given back to him? It wasn’t a typical guy thing. “You saw?” Jimmy asked, dreading the answer.

   “It’s pretty obvious,” Lou pointed out. Of course, what Jimmy didn’t realize is that Lou was talking about the looming clouds in the distance and not the flower. She knew she was being naughty by taking advantage of his mistake, but now was her chance to get Jimmy Hickok to confess all. If she just played her cards right....

   “I guess it’s been for a while now,” Jimmy admitted. Lately he just couldn’t hide his feelings for Lou as well as he would’ve liked to. And with her calling him on the flower, there was no turning back.

   “Yeah,” she replied softly. “So what are we going to do?” Her words created a moment of utter silence, and Lou instinctively understood Jimmy was deep in thought. She almost felt guilty for using such trickery. When his lovely brown eyes finally met her’s, Lou knew he was hesitant to answer.

   “I’m not sure,” he admitted finally. “I...” Thunder muzzled his words, and alerted him to the approaching storm. He hadn’t even noticed how the weather had changed. The dark clouds guaranteed a fierce storm. “We need to find shelter,” Jimmy said quickly.

   “Where?” Lou asked, silently cursing the thunder for its lousy timing. Why couldn’t the storm just hold off a few more minutes?

   “There’s an old abandoned barn less than a mile from here,” Jimmy informed her as the wind picked up. “Let’s go there.”

   Luckily, Jimmy had remembered the little barn. After the widow’s house burned down, she moved back east. No one had ever bought the place from her, so the homestead remained empty. That would make a perfect place for him and Lou to wait out the storm. St. Joe was gonna have to wait.

   By the time the riders arrived at the barn, the rain was pouring down heavily. Their horses were unsettled by the rapid change in conditions, and were grateful for the safety the barn offered. After getting their mounts taken care of for the night, Jimmy found a safe place to start a fire. The barn floor had no straw in it, and the dirt floor would prevent the fire from getting out of control. Lou found some old pieces of wood to use, and Jimmy quickly lit it with the few dry matches he had. After removing their wet coats, Lou hung them on two old nails. As the flames grew, the riders huddled around it to dry their soaked clothing.

   When night settled in, the storm’s intensity increased. Thunder and lightning were abundant, and the rain beat against the little structure with strong determination. How the weather had changed so rapidly was mystifying. Lou subconsciously slid closer to Jimmy for comfort. She had a feeling this storm was gonna get more chaotic.

   “Hungry?” Jimmy inquired to break the silence. He wasn’t really, but maybe it would help soothe Lou.

   “A little.” She watched Jimmy retrieve what little supplies they had brought.

   “How does beans sound?” Jimmy asked with a smile. He knew they weren’t Lou’s first choice.

   “Can we?” She begged in false excitement.

   “Brought ‘em just for you,” Jimmy stated teasingly. “Uh Lou,” he began, unsure of how to break the bad news. “I guess I didn’t bring ‘em.”

   “Darn!” Lou cried sarcastically. “What did you bring?”

   “Some biscuits from breakfast this morning,” Jimmy informed her. “Want one?”

   “Sounds yummy,” she stated teasingly. “Toss me one anyway.” Leave it to Jimmy to remember old food.

   “They were good this morning,” Jimmy justified. “Of course, everything was a lot better this morning.”

   “Oh,” Lou exclaimed suddenly. It was time to pick up where they left off before the storm hit. “Can I have my flower back now?” Her request sounded very sweet, but her intentions weren’t. She was playing her tricks again. Jimmy almost choked on his biscuit after hearing her words. “You all right?”

   “I’m fine,” Jimmy reassured her.

   “You know,” Lou began as she leaned closer to Jimmy. “They say a flower’s petals can foretell true love.”

   “They do?” Jimmy repeated weakly. He desperately wanted to change the conversation, but Lou would never allow it.

   "Uh huh.” Lou brushed a strand of hair away from Jimmy’s cheek. “It’s all in the petals.” She had Jimmy blushing lightly, though he’d never admit it.

   He was starting to catch on to Lou’s game. She was being very naughty, and it was time she got a dose of her own medicine. “ And who have you played this game for?” Jimmy interrogated even though he already knew he was the answer. His boldness caught her off guard, and she retreated a bit.

   “I’ll tell you my confessions, if you tell me yours,” she challenged. “Well?”

   “Ladies first,” Jimmy informed as he looked into her eyes.

   “Do you hear that?” Lou questioned suddenly. She looked toward the barn door.

   “Don’t change...” Finally he heard what she was talking about. “Voices?”

   "That’s what it sounds like,” Lou agreed. If they had in fact heard voices, they could be in a world of trouble. Not too many people passed by this old place. As the barn door began to open, the riders drew their weapons. More than likely, trouble was going to walk right through that door.