© 1998 by Suellen Butcher
May not be copied without permission from the author.
Louise stood alone on the steps of the quaint church that she and the Kid had been married in and sighed deeply. Their marriage had been such a short time ago, but so much had happened and their lives had changed almost beyond recognition. Tears welled in her eyes as she realised that their small but close family was slowly beginning to disintegrate, and as it had she had found new friendships. The most lasting of which was the McCoy family. She had watched her new friends almost enviously as they had named her and Kid Godparents to their baby daughter, Ashleigh.
Catherine and Rhett McCoy had arrived in town four months ago, two days after Noah's tragic death and all hell had broken loose in the town, and the waystation. Life had never been the same since Noah's death, Jesse beleiving he was at fault had left town, Cody was periodically away with the army, Buck had returned from his people a changed man, and Jimmy and Kid came within a whisker of killing each other every other day. The most devastating thing that had happened to her was when she had miscarried their first baby. Rachel had assured her that these things happen, but Louise now despaired of ever becoming a mother. She so desperately wanted to cradle a child born of the love and tenderness she and Kid shared, that since her miscarriage the others had despaired of ever having the Louise they all knew and loved back. The pain was twice as bad for Kid, not only had he lost his first child but it had seemed that he had also lost his beloved wife.
The only bright spots on the horizon of continued misery were when Rachel and Teaspoon had finally realised their love and had been married, and the arrival of the McCoy's. Fresh off a boat from Ireland, the newlyweds had purchased a wagon, a team of horses and supplies and had set about making their way west. To a life on the frontier they had always dreamed about. Somewhere where they were not penned in and could farm happily on their own property without seeing another soul for days. They had joined a wagon train, but Catherine had fallen pregnant and not far outside of Rock Creek, Rhett had decided that for his wifes safety they would leave the Train. He was not willing to compromise the love of his life's safety when he could just as easily find a position in one of the local towns and wait until their young one was born.
Catherine had been seven months pregnant when they had arrived. Lou had been the first person the young couple had met when they arrived in town and they had quickly become firm friends. Rhett had quickly found a temporary position as a clerk in Thompkins store. His thick irish brogue making him the brunt of many practical jokes and pranks initially, but his hard working and amiable nature endearing him to many. They had taken up the offer of rooming at the waystation where Catherine spent many hours on the porch with Louise and Rachel, all three ladies sharing their dreams and aspirations for the future.
The young family were eager to move on to their tract of farm land, that had been bought sight unseen in New York soon after their arrival in this new and vast land. Rhett refused, however, to take his wife away from civilisation at least until the baby was born and christened. Loathe to remove them from medical and spiritual assistance if they should need it.
Lou was jerked back into the present as Catherine's lilting musical voice spoke close behind her.
'Would you like to be holding your God daughter Miss Louise?' she spoke softly, the tiny cherub she spoke of cradled in her arms, dressed in an elegant long white christening gown.
'You know I love holding her.' Lou admonished as she gently took the baby from her arms
She cooed to Ashleigh for several minutes then looked up her eyes tearfilled at Catherine's face.
'You'll be leaving soon won't you?' she seemed almost afraid to ask
'Rhett says that we should be able to be on our way tommorrow.' she answered knowing that this would mean the end of their daily talks.
'You can come and visit' Catherine spoke softly
Kid walked up behind Lou and slipped his arms around her waist.
'I thought that Lou might like to go with you to your homestead. She can help you with the baby on the trip.' he spoke his voice hushed so as not to disturb the baby cradled in Lou's arms.
'You mean it Kid, you don't need me at the waystation' her eyes brightened at the thought of being able to visit with her new friends and help them out
'Sure, we can get by, I'll follow in a few days and we can ride back together. It should only take a few hours for me to get there.' he answered loving the sight of the spark back in his wifes eyes.
She turned her face and kissed him wetly on the cheek. Handing Ashleigh back to her mother, she turned in Kids arm's and hugged him closely
'Will you two cut it out please?' Cody laughed as he and Jimmy walked around the side of the church, closely followed by Teaspoon and Rachel and Buck and Jenny. All of them were relieved to see Lou smiling again, even if only temporarily, so the ribbing they gave the young couple was good natured.
Early the next day, the boys and Rhett had quickly loaded the McCoys covered wagon with their furniture and chests of clothes and dishes. Soon after sunrise, the fully laden wagon was ready to depart. The two cows, they had purchased with the wages Rhett had earned working in Thompkins store, milling restlessly behind the wagon. Catherine stood on the porch, her copper red curls tamed into a braid that hung to the small of her back. The freckles on her nose shaded by a huge floppy sun bonnet. Her blue eyes filled with both excitement and sorrow.
'I don't know how to thank all of you, for your friendship and your hospitality.' she spoke queitly
'No need to thank us honey, we loved having you here.' Rachel answered truthfully tucking a wisp of her own blond hair behind her ear, watching her husband walk up the steps towards her.
'We have a small gift for you, we know it's not much but we couldn't resist' Jenny spoke as she handed Catherine a box of exquisite imported chocolates.
'You shouldn't have' Catherine spoke touched by the depth of emotion she felt for her new friends.
'It's the least we could do for enticing our Louise back.' Teaspoon spoke as he embraced his new wife. They watched as Kid much to Lou's consternation, checked her horse was saddled properly.
'Thank you for allowing her to come with us, I won't be quite so lonely now.' Catherine watched as Lou and Kid said their goodbyes beside Lightning
'It's so good just to see her smile again, losing her baby nearly broke her heart, she deserves a break. Beside's, it's their decision not ours.' Rachel answered.
Catherine climbed up into her wagon and waited for Rhett to pass their tiny daughter up to her. Kid kissed his wife and enfolded her in a bear hug before releasing her.
'Be careful and I'll see you in a couple of days' he spoke as she mounted Ligthning
'I'll miss you.' she murmured as their other friends approached.
Kid walked over to Catherine and Rhett's wagon and spoke to Rhett while everyone else said goodbye to Lou.
'I'll look after her for you Kid.' Rhett spoke earnestly
'Thanks' Kid answered him knowing that Lou would be safe no matter what happened 'Look after yourselves. I'll see you in a few days' he stood back as Rhett clicked his horses into action. The wagon pulled away and Lou followed on her horse all waving happily. The small congregation of friends waving madly as well.
Lou and the Mccoy's travelled slowly across flat grassy plains and gently undulating hills. Both Rhett and Catherine were awed by the country that had suddenly become their back yard, so Lou was more than happy to travel slowly and let thm absorb their new surroundings and help keep their cattle travelling with them. The only dark spot in their small peice of territory was the fact that they now lived in very close proximity to an ancient indian burial ground.
Rhett had been intrigued and Catherine frightened by the shelf like structures built on stilts, The almost intact skeletons of long dead indians laying on their surface. The furs that had once encased the bodies long since rotted away, the bones bleached white by the sun and the wind. Lou had known when they had come across warning signs left by the indian shamans that for their own safety they would need to change course and skirt around the outside of the burial ground. She had explained the importance of never entering this sacred land to her friends.
They arrived at a tiny cabin built into the side of a cliff, beside a steady flowing stream and near a dark foreboding forest a little before noon. A small corral was built a short distance from the house with a equally ramshackle barn. The trip had been made longer by skirting around the side of the indian burial ground. But now that they had arrived, Catherine looked uncertain as she sat on the wagon seat and watched her friends reaction.
'What do you think Louise?' she asked quietly.
'I think with a little work this could be a beautiful home.' she spoke earnestly shading her eyes as she took a closer look. What had appeared ramshackle from a distance, up close appeared homey and quaint. Watching Rhett affectionately lift his wife from the wagon, she knew that they would make a happy home here, content to farm and make beautiful babies. She waited for them to walk towards the house and watched smiling as Rhett lifted Catherine, baby Ashleigh and all and walked across the threshold with them. She gave them a few moments to themselves and then dismounted and followed them into the house. Inside, despite being dusty and cobweb draped, the house had four rooms: two bedrooms, a living area and a small kitchen.
Lou worked hard side by side with Rhett, not afraid of a little hard work and lifting. She had become accustomed to completeing a man's work when she was part of the express and did not have any reservations about hard work now. They stabled Lightning and the wagon team and corralled the cows first, then set about unloading the wagon. Long before nightfall they had moved all the furniture that the McCoys had travelled with into the house. Catherine had dusted and cleaned in between caring for baby Ashleigh. They ate a quick supper of thick slices of bread and the roast beef that Rachel had packed for them knowing that they would be too busy to worry about cooking.
Knowing that Catherine was tired, Lou quickly made up the large bed in the bedroom and the single bed in the small bedroom where she would be sleeping with the fine irish linen she found in one of Catherine's chests. It was not long after that they had all fallen into bed exhausted from a hard day's work and travel.
Lou awoke late, long after sunrise, well rested after her day of hard work. Rising and dressing, she walked out of the bedroom and was surprised to find baby Ashleigh in her crib in the living room alone. She lifted her out of the crib, delighted at the way the tiny baby gurgled and cooed at her as she held her against her shoulder. Frowning as she wondered where Catherine and Rhett had gone, she quickly checked the other rooms and unsuccessful at finding them she walked out of the house. Relieved to see them both over near the corral, she began to walk towards them. They both turned at the noise, Rhett lifting his rifle and taking aim, until he realised it was Lou.
'Louise, it's awful' Catherine cried as she ran back toward Lou, taking Ashleigh from her
Rhett beckoned to Lou to come closer to him, as she drew near, the stench of fresh blood almost made her gag. As she reached his side, she saw the remains of one of the cows, it's carcass ripped to shreds.
'How did we not hear this happening?' she spoke quietly in amazement
'I don't know, Tonight I'll put the other one in the barn, she should be safe in there.' I don't know what to do with this one yet.' he spoke almost to himself
'I'll help you drag it away from the buildings, then we'll dig a pit and bury it. The smell of blood may attract whatever it was back.' she explained
Lou and Rhett worked hard all day trying to eradicate the stench of the dead beast and burying the carcass in a deep pit. The house was a very sombre place that night, both Lou and Rhett had decided that they would try to stay awake just incase the beast that had killed the cow returned. However, as the sun began to rise, there had been no sign of the beast and they decided to return to their respective beds and get a little sleep. Catherine tended to the household chores and baby Ashleigh and let the both of them sleep until late morning, when she heard and saw two riders approaching. She quickly woke them, still unsure of visitors in their new and isolated environment. It wasn't until they got closer that she realised that the riders were Kid and Buck. Lou waited for her husband to dismount and threw herself into his embrace, glad to see her husband again.
'You are a sight for sore eyes' he laughed as he took in his wife's dishevelled appearance.
'Something killed one of the cows, night before last. We sat up last night to try and catch it but it never came back.' she smiled as she explained.
'Do you know what it was?' Buck asked
'Not sure, I haven't had much experience with that sort of thing, but whatever it was it made a mess of the cow.' she answered Buck and Kid looked at each other over the top of Lou's head.
'That's why we're here early Lou, to warn the McCoy's' Kid spoke
'Why?' Lou looked into her husband's face. Rhett who by this time was standing beside them also spoke, his thick irish brogue almost indecipherable
'Yes, why boys?' he asked
'The same day you left, a family moved into town, their two year old daughter had been killed by a rogue wolf. Their property is on the other side of these trees.' Kid indicated. 'Their other child a boy, died yesterday. The doc thinks that the wolf has rabies. We were worried about Ashleigh so we thought we would come out and see what we can do.'
'Thank you for your concern boys, we would be thankful if you could help us.' Rhett spoke earnestly shaking hands with each of the men.
The three men decided upon a plan they felt was sure to lure the wolf back to the corral. At nightfall they realeased the remaining cow into the corral and Kid, Lou and Buck bedded down in the hayloft, retracting the ladder to ensure their safety. Rhett a gun by his side sat in the house's tiny kitchen to protect his wife and daughter should it be needed.
The plan worked, in fact it worked better than any of them could have expected. Sometime after midnight, Buck spotted the silver grey wolf on the side of the forest. Waking Kid and Lou, and waiting for both of them to also take aim against the beast to ensure it's demise. As the huge wolf approached the madly screaming cow, all three fired on it and it fell with a thud to the ground, twitching as its life ebbed away.
By the time Kid, Lou and Buck reached the wolf's side both Rhett and Catherine were standing at its side amazed at the size of the huge, but now harmless wolf.
'I don't know how we can repay you all' Rhett spoke quietly
'No need for that, we were doing the territory a service.' Buck spoke softly his toe gently nudging the beast to make sure it was in fact dead.
'Come inside, I'll make a batch of biscuits while I wait for the coffee pot to boil.
Catherine spoke inching away from the animal that could have caused so much damage to her little family.
Early the next morning, Lou, Kid and Buck saddled their horses and the two men waited at the front of the tiny house for Lou to say goodbye to her friends.
'I'll come and visit you often Catherine.' she spoke softly tears in her eyes as she hugged her tiny god daughter.
'We will have to come to town for supplies as well' Catherine spoke as she took her baby back from the now crying Lou, then handed her to Rhett before she and Lou embraced tightly.
'You won't have time to miss us.' She murmured into Lou's ear as she realeased her friend.
Lou walked over to Lightening and climbed on to her horse. Taking one final look she spurred him into action and rode from the tiny farm.
Kid and Buck who had already said their good byes, smiled at their friends and mounted up following Lou away from the homestead.
Rhett took his crying wife into his embrace, knowing that they had just farewelled sprobably the best friends his family could have. Knowing that he would see them again soon, he turned his wife towards their house and their future.
