Ethan Wicks felt as if his pounding heart was about to push right through his chest. At first, he was convinced he was seeing a ghost. Surely it couldn't be her. She’d disappeared from his life over four years ago and he'd seen neither hide nor hair of her since, but when the waiter called her Mrs. McCloud he knew it was her without a doubt. It was his Louise. The beautiful woman in the striking emerald green dress and hat was no longer the young girl he'd possessed when she was still merely a child. Now Louise was a beautiful, confident woman.

Ethan Wicks had never forgotten the spirited girl whom he'd ‘promoted’ from laundress to his special girl. She’d been young and scared, but that hadn't stopped him. Nothing stopped him, and when she fought back it had only excited him more. After only a few weeks in his bed, she'd escaped and although he wasn't surprised, it still greatly upset him. He'd searched the city for the young beauty, but Charlotte Rowan, his star attraction and Louise's abettor, refused to reveal her destination. Even the savage beating he'd given Charlotte hadn't been enough to make her talk. He admired Charlotte for that alone, but it didn’t stop him from pursuing the whore when she'd run off six months earlier. She'd taken a large portion of his money, and nobody stole from Ethan Wicks and got away with it. Yet, Charlotte Rowan had, and seeing Louise he wondered if the two had found each other again.

Alone for the evening meal, Wicks repositioned his chair so he could better see Louise's table over the shoulder of her companion. Is he her husband, Wicks wondered? But the waiter called her Mrs. McCloud. Why would she have the same name as when she was mine? Wicks paid the young man no attention, believing him to be only an obstacle and not a real threat. He knew he would have to take his time, approach her slowly, or he would scare her away. If he handled it correctly instead of in his usual impetuous manner, she might even come to him willingly.

Lou looked across the table into Kid's sparkling eyes. She saw nothing that went on around the room, her attention fully fixed on the blueness before her. The look Kid was giving her was making her knees weak. Convinced her legs were softer than two feather pillows, she didn't know how she would be able to get herself back to the hotel when the meal was over.

"What are you thinking about, Lou?" Kid asked as he leaned in closer.

"You," was all Lou could eek out.

Kid eyed her seductively and saw the same lusty look as he wore turning her eyes to a smoky brown. "Good. I was thinking about you too, and I would hate for us to not be thinking about the same thing."

Not sure if it was the French wine or the building passion that was making her warmer than usual, Lou tried to discreetly fan herself with her gloved hand and pat down the blush she felt coloring her cheeks. How is it that even though we've been together so many times, he still makes me feel like it's all so new, she wondered. She coyly licked at her lips waiting for the feel of his on hers.

Stretching further across the table, Kid whispered in Lou's ear. "You're lucky that we're in a public restaurant and I'm an upstanding man, because every time you do that you make me want to tear your clothes off." He was devilish with the idea of shocking her.

As she watched her husband settle back in his chair, Lou's eyes were wide with amazement over his boldness. Kid was always passionate, but usually sedate when it came to their lovemaking. It looked like tonight was shaping up to be an all-together different type of evening. She fought the urge to smile and instead took a deep breath and returned to her meal. She would play with him and tease him with her patience for as long as she could stand and then she would let him lead her back to the hotel so she could ravish him!

Wicks watched the exchange with heightened interest. It was obvious that Louise was a different type of woman now, no longer an unwilling participant in the bedroom, and he could feel his desire for her growing. He left his plate untouched and continued with the bottle of wine he'd been consuming. He had to force himself to stay seated and not lunge across the room for her. No, he would wait, and it would be worth it. It surprised him that his desire for her could resurface so quickly. He'd spent so long beating it down, he'd thought it gone, but obviously it was more deeply rooted than he'd realized. I will have her.

Suddenly there was movement from the table across the room and in a cloud of dark green Lou stood up and headed for the door. No! He had to follow, had to know where to find her again. Rising immediately after her companion closed the door behind them, Wicks jumped from his seat, yelled to the owner to put his meal on his tab and was out the door and following behind them. He stayed in the shadows. It wouldn't do for her to see him when he wasn't ready for her yet. He needed to steady himself; he needed to prepare for her return.

Lou clung to Kid's hand as they practically floated up the street back to the hotel. She loved the way his masculine one dwarfed hers and made her feel so feminine and petite. When Kid came to a sudden stop, Lou was so far into her dream world that she kept going and her arm nearly pulled out of its socket. "Kid!" she yelled, rubbing at her arm. "Did you forget where we’re goin’?"

Kid just shrugged his shoulders, suddenly no longer in such a rush to get back to the room. It was a nice night and he wanted to enjoy it with Lou by his side.

"Kid," Lou whined, sensing the change in his demeanor. She had been excited about his aggressiveness and was more than ready to get to their room.

"Let's just walk a little longer, Lou." He pulled her back to him and wrapped his arms around her slim waist. Looking around first and seeing no one on the streets, he leaned in and gave her a kiss that was almost indecent for a public setting. Nibbling his way up to her ear, he whispered, "I promise it'll be worth it."

Lou could only sigh as she melted in his arms. Curling her fingers, she clutched at the Kid's waist as he ravished her neck just above the scalloped material barely concealing her bust.

He could see the man running his hands all along Louise's supple body, but could not hear their conversation. He’d sunk back into the shadows when he saw the man start to look around before kissing her. Fearing he'd be spotted, Wicks was now pressed into the doorway of the men's tailor shop.

Kid and Lou continued along the street and stopped to gaze into some of the shop windows. As they approached the hotel, Lou stopped Kid when she caught sight of a shooting star streaking across the sky.

"Did you see it, Kid?" Lou asked excitedly.

Kid turned Lou so she had her back to him and he could wrap his arms around her waist from behind. "I didn't see it." Nosing away her hair so he could suckle on her neck he added, "I was busy looking at you."

Lou blushed and sighed as his kisses sent chills throughout her body. "If you see one, you get to make a wish."

With his lips on her ear he whispered, "My wish already came true."

Lou spun in Kid’s embrace to face him and found his lips with hers. “I love you, Kid,” she said seriously. “And I think you’re right, my wish came true already too.”

“Oh yeah? What wish was that?”

“That you’d ask me again.”

An inquisitive look passed over Kid’s face. “Ask you what?”

“To marry you again. I wished on every shooting star, prayed all the time and even looked for four leaf clovers. Anything to make you ask me again.”

“You should’ve known I would. I wasn’t lettin’ you get away.”

“I really didn’t know, Kid.” Lou’s insecurities were shining through. “I thought I’d soured you completely to the idea.”

“Oh, I was upset, but I wasn’t givin’ up. I’d a kept asking ‘til you said yes. Even if we’d already gone old and gray.”

Lou threw her arms around Kid’s neck and covered his face with small kisses. “You do always say the right thing! But I wouldn’t have let it get that far. I think I would’ve asked you sooner or later, if you hadn’t done it that day in Davenport.”

Starting to walk into the hotel, Kid looked over at Lou. “Oh really? That I would’ve liked to see. You know, I’d only’ve said yes if you were on bended knee.”

“Of course!” agreed Lou in a dignified tone that barely covered her giggles. “There is no other proper way to propose.”

Passing through the door Kid held open for her, Lou rushed towards the stairs. Trying to conceal her giddiness from the night clerk, she didn’t see the older gentleman wink at Kid as he raced up the stairs behind her.

The clerk was just thinking that they were such a lovely young couple when the sight entering his lobby soured his mood. Everyone in town knew who Ethan Wicks was and while he rarely brought his business dealings to the hotel, Charles Banning could tell he was up to no good.

“Wicks.”

“Banning.”

“Don’t see you around here too often, Wicks. Can I help you with something?”

Wicks looked up at the ceiling as he heard the scampering feet pass over his head. “That young couple that just came in, what room are they in?”

“Now, you know I can’t tell you that. Against the rules.”

He smiled knowingly and reached into his pocket for a gold coin. “We all know rules are made for changin’.” Sliding the coin across the counter, Wicks clamped his hand down over Banning’s as the clerk went to pocket the money. “The room number,” he repeated through clenched teeth.

“What do you want with them, Wicks? They’re nice kids.”

“Let me worry about that.”

Banning knew he shouldn’t give it up, but he, like most other people, feared Ethan Wicks’ wrath. “Two-oh-seven.”

“Front side?”

“Yeah, center room.”

Wicks released the clerk’s hand and without another word slipped out of the lobby. Crossing the street he settled against the hitching post of the telegraph office just as the center room on the second floor lit up. The curtains were still open and he could just make out the figures as they kissed in the middle of the room. The prospect of the show to come was exciting him and he knew he’d have to head back to the saloon soon to release the pressure building within.

No words were spoken as Lou and Kid melted into one another. The kiss that had started even before they were inside the room continued to build as they fumbled with each other’s clothes.

“Too many buttons,” Kid hissed as he nearly tore them off of Lou’s new dress.

“You picked it out,” she grunted back as she tugged at his shirt tucked tightly into his trousers.

“That’ll teach me to go to the dress shop,” he replied as he finally freed the last button from its loop. Kid found Lou’s lips again as he pushed the soft green material from her shoulders and let it puddle on the floor at her feet. Their evening walk had done nothing to cool his desire for his bride and although he was unfamiliar with the assertiveness that had taken over him, Lou wasn’t protesting it, so why should he?

They broke lips for only a second as Lou pulled Kid’s shirt up over his head, not wanting to have the same trouble with the buttons that he’d just had. The couple spun around the room in a passionate embrace as more clothes were shed and tossed about the room. Finally when they’d had all either could take, Lou let Kid pull her to the bed.

Lying on top of him, Lou could feel his arousal through the thin cotton chemise she wore. It was the last of the barriers between them. She deepened her kiss, encouraging him to take her as they lay, encouraging him not to waste another second before they were joined as one.

Kid could sense what Lou was asking of him and rolled her over so he was just hovering above her. Lou kissed Kid’s shoulder as he reached to pull the thin material up her legs. Suddenly, she stopped kissing him and was trying to stop him from taking them where they’d wanted to be all night.

“What, Lou?” He could barely get the words out, still breathless from their kiss.

“The curtains are open! I feel like someone can see us. Would you shut them?”

“Lou,” Kid groaned. “You really think anyone’s down their watching us like a peeping tom? Don’t worry about it.” Kid started to kiss her neck again and tug at the hem of the undergarment.

But Lou was worried and had a bit of a chill settling over her body at the thought that somebody might be outside their window. “Please, Kid.”

Kid rolled his eyes as he rolled off of her. “It’s only bothering you, so why don’t you close ‘em?” He rarely said no to her, but it was the principle of the matter. Then again, at this rate, he thought, there’s gonna be nothing to see if she keeps this up.

“Fine,” she said. Annoyed at his refusal, she slid off the bed.

Kid watched her go to the window in the thin white chemise that showed off every curve that he knew so well, and sighed. Feeling the tug in his groin, he knew he’d better apologize or it would be a long, and lonely, night. He got to his feet and followed behind her.

Standing before the window Lou peered out into the street. She just couldn’t shake the sudden feeling that someone was out there. She nearly jumped when Kid encircled her from behind and brought his hands up to cup her breasts as he kissed her shoulder.

“Sorry about that, Lou, but you see, there’s no one out there but the barn cats. Will you come back to bed with me?”

Lou knew Kid was right and with a last look out the window, she gave a tug to the heavy curtains and turned into his warm embrace. Oblivious to everything around them, but each other, they barely made it back to the bed before they fell over the edge of bliss.

Ethan Wicks had watched the scene unfold and was glad he’d stayed when they first moved out of view. His last look at her, as she searched the empty street with her lover’s hands wrapped around her, had been just enough to whet his appetite. He would have no time to plan. He would have to take her tomorrow. The decision made, he headed back to prepare.

Chapter Four