The Hunter family entered the hall & was amazed to see all the people that had come to the dance. Lou began feeling nervous as all the single men, & a few that weren't, looked on in amazement at the marshal's extravagant daughter. She moved closer to Buck, Ike & Noah who were standing close by, just to feel a little safer.
"May I have this dance?" the soft voice asked her.
Lou looked up startled until she saw the gentle & kind eyes of her love. "Why, certainly, Buck!" she answered, removing her shawl & exposing her dress in full just as Kid & Tory danced by. Buck's eyes widened, as did his smile. For that matter, all the men close by her did similar things just like Buck:- Kid tripped over his own feet, Cody dropped the glasses of punch he was carrying over to his dancing partner, Jimmy froze in his steps, Ike & Noah stared unbelievingly, Rachel smiled on encouragingly & Teaspoon almost fainted. They all couldn't believe how gorgeous their sister/daughter truly was.
Buck gained control of his senses & escorted Lou to the middle of the dance floor just as a waltz started up. The two held each other close & gazed into the other's eyes, love reflecting from both pairs.
Rachel glanced over at the couple while dancing with Teaspoon, & noticed the look of love between the two. "Oh my goodness…there is definitely something going on there" Rachel whispered to herself, smiling
"Sorry, sweetheart. What was that?" Teaspoon asked, interrupting her thoughts.
"Oh, nothing. I was just talking to myself." Rachel explained. She didn't realise she had said it out loud.
As the night went on, Rachel got caught up in conversations with the other women from town that she didn't notice the disappearance of Lou & Buck. Now that she was with child, everyone had a story, anecdote or suggestion to give to her about raising a child. She was seen as a respectable woman now that she was married to their town's Marshal.
Lou & Buck left the dance after about 7 dances. Originally it was to get some fresh air as the dance hall had become hot & stuffy, but as they walked under the stars, they both felt a desire to be together, so they let Ike know they were leaving due to Lou having a "headache". Ike knew that wasn't the real reason because he could see it all over his best friend's face…there was more to it than meets the eye.
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