Riding back towards St. Joe on the rented buckboard, Kid glanced over at Lou and couldn’t stop the grin from nearly splitting his face in two. Sitting beside him, she looked happier than she had in a while. The visit with her brother and sister had gone better than they could have ever expected and both Teresa and Jeremiah were excited by the prospect of finally leaving the orphanage and starting a new life with them.

Daring to take his eyes from the unfamiliar road again, Kid glanced back at Lou to find her still smiling at the doll she held in her lap. “You keep smilin’ so big and your face may get stuck like that,” he teased.

Realizing that Kid had caught her, Lou’s smile changed to a sheepish grin. “Can’t help it. I’m just so happy, Kid. The children seem so excited and happy to be movin’ to Sweetwater with us. And Miah, oh he treated you so much more kindly than I ever expected. I don’t think he was fakin’, Kid. I really think he’s excited. And did you see his eyes light up when you told him he’d get a horse of his own so he could help out? Thank you, you made him so happy.” Lou curled closer to the Kid and rested her head on his shoulder as he steered the horse and cart.

“You’re welcome, but I didn’t do anything. He’s a good boy, Lou. We’ll be fine.” Driving with one hand, he wrapped his other arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer. “You did pretty good yourself with Teresa. I was shocked she gave you that doll.”

“I nearly started cryin’ right then, but she just begged me to take it and hold it until it was time to move. She said this way there’d be someone to keep me company until then.” Lou stroked the soft hair of her old doll, Annabelle Mumblepuss. “Kid,” she started with trepidation in her voice.

Kid listened as Lou’s voice faded. “What, Lou?” Is something wrong?” He wanted nothing more than to have the smiling woman of only a few minutes ago back with him.

“Do you really think we can do this? Are we takin’ on too much? I mean starting the ranch and keeping my brother and sister. I haven’t taken care of anybody but myself for so long and now, not only do I have to be both mother and sister to Tessie and Miah, but I want to be a good wife to you as well. I’m so afraid I won’t be able to do it all.” Tears that she hadn’t expected escaped from Lou’s brown eyes and pulling away from Kid, she quickly wiped at them.

Sensing the seriousness of her fears, Kid pulled the horse to a stop at the edge of the road and turned in the seat to look at Lou beside him. He took her hand in his. “Lou, I don’t know where these doubts are coming from, but you’re already the perfect wife to me. These past two months have been better than I ever expected and I know it’ll be like this for the rest of our lives. Adding Jeremiah and Teresa to our family will only make it better.”

“Oh, Kid! You always say the right thing to make me feel better.” Lou threw her arms around him and pressed her lips to his.

Whispering into her hair as she clung to his neck, Kid added, “Besides, Lou. Having the kids around will give me practice for when we have our own children.”

“Kid!” Lou pulled back, her eyes wide.

“We’ve talked about havin’ a big family, Lou. Are you feelin’ differently now?”

Now it was Lou’s turn to see fear in Kid’s eyes. “Of course not, Kid! Don’t ever think that I don’t want to have lots of babies with you. We just haven’t talked about it in a while. I didn’t realize you were ready so soon.”

“Well, we ain’t exactly been careful about it lately, Lou.”

“I guess not. I hadn’t given it much thought. It’s just been nice to know that what we do is finally okay and for once, just between us and not so many pryin’ eyes.”

“I know, Lou. And it’ll be like this forever. We’re gonna make this work - the ranch, your sister and brother, our future children - all of it. I promise you that.”

Lou smiled and hugged Kid tightly, feeling most of her anxiousness disappear beneath his return hug. “I promise you, too. No more of this blubbering. I just can’t figure out why I’ve been like this lately. One minute I’m fine, the next I’m a weepy mess, but no more. From now on, it’s all about us and getting our new life started.”

“I was never worried, Lou. But I’m glad to hear it just the same.” With one last kiss to her soft lips, Kid turned back to the road and whipped the horse back into action. “I think we should go out and celebrate tonight.”

“What was last night, if not a celebration? We had such a fine dinner at the hotel and then a trip to the theater. We’ve never done that before.”

Kid agreed that the previous evening was a nice one, but he really wanted to make the rest of their stay in St. Joe special. It would be their last chance for some time off for a long while. They both knew starting their ranch would take all of their time and energy and then some.

“We should make this like a honeymoon, Lou. You know do it right. We never got a chance to go. What with…” Kid let his words trail off not wanting to even say the name of their fallen friend.

Lou’s eyes looked away again and Kid knew she was thinking about Noah and his death only a day after their wedding.

“It’s okay to miss him, Lou.”

“I know, and I do. I know you miss him too.”

Kid nodded his head solemnly acknowledging his wife’s words. They both missed Noah as much as they missed Ike and as much as they missed their friends who were gone in spirit if not in body.

Lou thought momentarily before making her decision. “You’re right, we should celebrate, Kid. We should make this our honeymoon. It will be a perfect way to start this new phase of our life together. Did you have something in mind for this evening?”

Kid couldn’t suppress his playful grin. “You can always read my mind. I heard about a real fine restaurant that we could go to tonight. One that’s not even attached to a hotel and supposedly has a cook all the way from France. In St. Joe! Can you imagine?”

Lou plastered a smile on her face and prayed that Kid couldn’t see how pale she knew she’d gotten. She knew the restaurant he was speaking of. She had no first hand experience of it, it was a meal that had been way beyond her meager earnings when she’d lived in St. Joe, but Wicks had a penchant for it and often took his investors and high rollers there. Sometimes one or two of the girls who had been hand picked to entertain and host Wicks’ guests would get to go along. They would always gush about the finery when they returned, but since she was his, and his alone, he never shared her with his investors and therefore she hadn’t had the chance to experience the restaurant.

Kid continued on while Lou was lost in her thoughts. “It’s a place called Nell’s and it’s only a few blocks over from the hotel. What do you say, Lou?”

Lou looked at him sweetly, giving away none of the horror she felt. It means nothing now, she told herself. Wicks is dead. Wicks is dead, she repeated silently. “Sounds a little costly, Kid. Maybe we shouldn’t.”

“Now, don’t go spoilin’ our honeymoon before it even starts. You know we can afford it. We have plenty now. Between our savings and Charlotte’s gift, it’s more than I’ve ever had in all the years I’ve been alive. We should be able to enjoy some of it.”

Once again resting her head on Kid’s shoulder she wrapped her arm around his as he drove. Wicks is dead. “You’re right, Nell’s sounds lovely. But I do doubt if I have anything fine enough to wear to a place like this. I have so few women’s clothes and most are like this or even plainer.” Lou plucked at the simple blue cotton dress she’d worn to the orphanage.

Kid said nothing, but Lou could see the mischievous glint in his eye.

“Kid McCloud, what are you up to? You have that look about your face,” Lou laughed.

He couldn’t hold his secret in any longer, obviously about to bust. “I was already planning on this dinner, I just had to find a way to bring it about for tonight. I knew you’d want to look special, so I took the liberty of goin’ to the dress shop for you.” Kid grinned ear-to-ear, proud of his efforts.

“You did?” Lou was touched almost beyond words, but she was slightly wary of what he might have picked out for her. She knew he didn’t really like to shop. “You did?” she asked again, this time her voice giving away her apprehension.

“I did,” Kid answered grandly. “And the lady at the shop said I have excellent taste.” He thought happily about the package that would be waiting for them when they arrived back at the hotel.

”Well, how can I turn it down now? If this perfect stranger says you have excellent taste…” she teased. “Thank you, Kid. I really mean that. It was very thoughtful of you.” Lou kissed the arm she clutched, feeling his strength beneath her lips.

“You’re welcome, Lou. I know you’re gonna look beautiful in it.” He couldn’t wait to see her in the new gown, and feeling a certain stirring in his loins, or out of it for that matter.

“Will you be wearin’ something equally as handsome?” she played along with him.

“Of course, darling,” he quipped back. “I would never accompany you and make you look bad.”

Laughter surrounded Kid and Lou as they arrived on the edge of St. Joe. To the average passer by, they looked like a young couple in love. Happy together, neither would dare to contradict, nor deny it, to anyone who stopped and asked them.

Kid was right, thought Lou to herself as she smoothed down the skirt of her beautiful new green gown. This is just what we needed - a celebration. Picking up her glass, she sipped on her champagne. It was a drink she hadn’t dared to touch since her disastrous experience with Tyler DeWitt. This night was nothing like that time, she reminded herself. This time she was with a man whom she loved more than anything in the world and she only had eyes for him.

Little did Lou know that besides Kid, there was someone else at Nell’s who could not take his eyes off of her.

Chapter Three