Lou didn't really look up as she started crossing the street until she heard a loud "Whoa!" and the stomping of horses' hooves right beside her! She just stood there frozen as the driver of the wagon stopped his horses right in front of her. He was mad! He came jumping out of the wagon and right over to Lou. He grabbed both her arms.

"Lou! Where is your head? I almost nearly killed ya!" Jimmy yelled out of concern.

"I'm sorry, Jimmy. But you didn't hit me and all's well that ends well. Right?" She gave him a weak smile.

Jimmy just looked at her a second and then returned her smile and gave her a little fake punch in the arm.

"You can't scare a fella like that, Lou. I don't know what I'd do."

Lou was about to respond when he stopped in mid-sentence. His eyes and mind occupied with the vision that walked down the stagecoach steps.

"Excuse me, Lou" Jimmy said as he walked over towards the blond lady that had just stepped out. He had a big smile on his handsome face. He knew this girl.

The next few weeks went by in a blur to Louise. Jimmy did indeed know this girl. Her name was Ann and she had been the daughter of a neighbor back in Kansas. They hadn't been close then, but had enjoyed catching up quite a bit.

Ann's father had died a few years back and they had just discovered a large stash of gold he had hidden. Ann let it be known that she was travelling the country on this windfall. Lou had watched her friend dress up in his best and escort this girl to dinner, a dance, lots of walks, and sitting on the swing.

Jimmy didn't have the time he used to for talking to Lou. She tried at first to get his attention and when that didn't work, she resorted to meanness. She criticized Ann every chance she got. All she felt was rotten inside. She couldn't look Jimmy in the eye anymore. After how much time they had been spending together before, it was like they were two strangers. Strangers that couldn't stand each other.

Jimmy brought Ann to dinner one night. The boys were showing her a good time, talking about their adventures with the Pony Express. Some of their stories included little parts about their "runt" that Lou didn't appreciate at all.

Lou was getting really ticked, tapping her fork on her plate and sending Jimmy and Ann evil looks. When Ann flipped her blond head towards her and said, "Don't worry Louise, Jimmy told me that you're a girl and honestly, I don't know how you've dealt with all these boys up till now. I mean don't you get tired of being so dirty, wearing nothing but those grimy clothes?"

You could have heard a pin drop while Buck and Cody stopped chewing. The fork on the way to Noah's mouth stopped mid-lift with his mouth still hanging open. Teaspoon just closed his eyes and Ike actually choked on what he was swallowing. No one moved. The heat emanating from Lou could be felt from across the table. Jimmy had not moved nor looked up from his plate after his initial look to Ann to try to stop her.

When Lou responded, it was very quiet. Eerily quiet. "Why I do what I do and live how I live is my own business. Some of us have to make it on our own, not just on Daddy's money. Some of us have to work for a living. I like what I do and I'm proud to ride for the Pony Express and if you even think about telling anyone." her voice started getting louder as her body rose up from her chair, her eyes dangerous.

"Lou, she won't say anything, I swear. I just told her cause you've been acting so strange and mean. She thought she'd done something to wrong you. I'm sorry I told her and I'm sorry we came tonight. " Jimmy pushed back from the table and retrieved his hat and guns from the rack.

"Jimmy, I had no idea," Ann said as she joined Jimmy in getting up from the table, "that after her actions the last few weeks, your friend would be this sensitive. Louise, I am sorry if I offended you. I am sorry that your Daddy didn't leave you the gold my Daddy left me. Your Daddy's dead isn't he? I'm sorry this is the only life for you. I mean I guess there are less honorable ways." Ann was cut off by Jimmy, as he saw all his friends rising up from their chairs, not at all happy.

"Enough, Ann. Let's go." He looked for a moment at Lou's angry eyes and his eyes were sad and questioning. Ann smiled at them all sweetly. Was it something she'd said? The two headed out the door and the whole room breathed a sigh of relief.

"What the Hell was that for?" Lou asked. The others just shook their heads. Cody was the only one willing to speak up.

"Well, Lou" he began, "you ain't exactly been the welcomin committee to Ann. You been givin her dirty looks and been nasty to Jimmy since she started comin around. What did you expect her to do?"

He paused and it killed him to see the way that Lou was looking at him, like she'd just been hit in the face. He looked to the others for support.

"He's right , Lou," Buck said. "You've been twice as nice to Kid's girlfriend than you have to Jimmy's."

"Not to mention how you been talkin to Jimmy," Noah chimed in. "I ain't never seen you treat anyone like they were stupid or no good without reason. until now."

Lou just looked at them with tears in her eyes. She sat down and sighed. She looked at her hands folded on her plate. She couldn't believe what they were saying. She hadn't acted like that, had she? I mean, why would she? She was the one being ignored and left behind. She was the one to feel sorry for, wasn't she?

"Louise?" it was Teaspoon. She looked up at him with fearful eyes. What would he say?

"Louise, I think that you need to think about why you been actin like this. Is it because you really don't like Ann? What are you mad at Jimmy for? We all know you don't think he's stupid. We also all know how close you were getting before Ann got here. I don't know what Jimmy's thinkin right now, but if you want to keep him as your friend you better go find out. Maybe you can figure out how you feel on your way." Lou just stood up and nodded. She started out.

"Oh, and Lou?"

"Yeah Teaspoon?"

"She didn't mean all those things. She was just fightin back. Defending your best friend, I'd say. That ain't such a bad thing, is it?"

Lou nodded again. She had some thinking to do. She looked at all the boys. "Thanks boys, for being honest with me. You all are true friends." She smiled at them weakly and quickly left the room.

"What do ya think, Teaspoon?" Cody asked. "Do you think those two will figure it out?"

"I don't know, Cody," Teaspoon answered. "But I'll tell ya, if there were two people more suited to sticking together and lovin one another, I ain't seen 'em." There were nods all around.

Lou went out to the pond she and the Kid used to go to. First, she had memories of the Kid and times they'd had. Then, when she wasn't paying attention, her thoughts turned to Jimmy. She had come not only to depend on him to talk to, but she had found herself looking forward to every minute they would spend together. Even mending the fences and cleaning stalls had been okay when she got to be with him.

He'd always seemed to feel the same. He was the one that would come to her. Sit beside her on the fence. Look at the sunsets with her. Take walks in the meadow and the woods. Go on runs with her, taking the work right out of it. He brought her adventure and gave her the respect she had always dreamed of. He tried to protect her, but did it quietly. He had kissed her.

She remembered that kiss and that trip and she knew that it was then that her heart had finally got her attention. He was the world to her now. If she had taken the time to figure this out before and do something about it, maybe he wouldn't be courting someone else now. Now it was too late. Lou sat on the hill by the water and quietly watched the dragonflies dive for the mosquitoes while she decided what to do.


Part Two

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