"Who is it?"
"It's Trevayne, Mistah Boggs. Treva sent me up tell ya that supper will be on the table in about ten minutes." A deep voice answered.
"I'll be down in a few minutes." Lou told him, easing her finger off the trigger of her gun.
"Alright, Mistah Boggs," Trevayne called back.
A moment later Lou heard the sound of Trevayne's footsteps retreating down the hallway. She holstered her gun and dressed quickly in a clean pair of denims and shirt. After slipping into her boots, Lou fastened her gun belt around her waist, put on her hat and glasses and left the room. Once she had reached the lower level of the boarding house, Lou followed the tantalizing aromas permeating the air through the parlor and into the dining room.
Treva greeted her with a warm smile and directed her to a vacant chair on one end of the long oak table. Lou took the chair Treva indicated and bowed her head as Trevayne said a blessing over the meal. When he had finished saying the blessing over the meal, Trevayne introduced Lou to the other diners at the table. She took an immediate disliking to the harmless looking Mr. Spencer(a dime novelist) who she had, unfortunately, been seated next to and was careful to answer his prying questions with evasive answers. She and the other riders, except maybe Cody, had learned to distrust all dime novelists after Jimmy's experience with J.D. Marcus.
After thoroughly enjoying a scrumptious meal of fried chicken, mashed potatoes, corn on the cob, collard greens, buttermilk biscuits and apple pie, Lou thanked Treva for the fine meal and excused herself. Before leaving the room, Lou inquired about how late the boarding house doors stayed open. Pleased to hear that she had decided to stay the night, Treva told Lou that she locked the doors at ten o'clock. Lou made her way through the parlor to the foyer and out the front door into the night.
The night sky was clear except for the silver moon that hung overhead. A slight breeze offered her some respite from the otherwise warm evening and Lou found herself glad that she had left her jacket in her room. Lou strolled along at a leisurely pace as she headed toward Trevayne's livery to check on Lightning. As she walked, Lou occasionally stopped before a store's windows and peer in at the goods displayed. One store's display in particular caught Lou's attention with an assortment of craftily sewn, crocheted, and quilted baby items.
Lou gazed at the tiny items in wonder and tried to picture what it would be like to hold a person so small as to fit into the tiny clothing before her. Of course she had had some experience in taking care of babies, since she had helped her Ma with both Jeremiah and Theresa when they were born. She knew though that this time around it would be much different. She wouldn't be caring for someone's baby, she would be caring for a child that both she and Kid had created and that made it infinitely more special.
She stood there for several minutes, imaginatively dressing her son and daughter up in the finery before her. Always when she imagined their looks, whether it be a boy or girl, the child would have a full head of chestnut curls, azure eyes and lopsided smile just like its pa. The sound of shattering glass nearby startle Lou out of her reverie and made her spin around in surprise. Raucous laughter followed by a gunshot drew Lou's attention down the street to a shabby looking building at the end of the street. Hoping no one had observed her strange behavior, Lou glanced obscurely around and then proceeded onto the livery.
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