Chapter Seven
Rachel set the pot of stew on the table with a sigh.
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Two days later, even Teaspoon was beginning to doubt. They hadn't had any word from Kid, and he knew Rachel was convinced Kid was gone for good.
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Kid opened the door to Rachel's house and silently crept up the stairs to his room, being careful not to wake Rachel. *She'd think I was a robber and blow my head off with that shotgun of hers,* he thought, the image almost bringing a smile to his face. It was so hard for him to smile or be happy, but he knew Lou would not want him to wallow in his grief, so he forced himself to find pleasure in the small things.
The funeral was a somber affair, as Lou was laid to rest in the Rock Creek cemetery. The grief-stricken look on Kid's face almost broke Rachel's heart. She knew from experience the pain of losing the love of you life after such a short time together, and all she wanted to do was wrap her arms around Kid and give him the comfort she knew he desperately needed. But he had shut himself off from everyone for the past two days, spending all his time with Noelle. He clung to his daughter like she was the only thing keeping him from losing his mind.
As the preacher said the final prayer, and they all walked back to the way station, Kid headed toward the barn. A few minutes later, Rachel saw him ride out on Katy, headed for the open plains.
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"Don't worry Rachel, he'll be fine," Jimmy assured her. "He probably just needs some time to himself."
"I hope you're right," Rachel didn't look convinced. "But I've seen what grief can do to a person. It makes them do strange things sometimes."
"Kid has a good head on his shoulders," Teaspoon reached out to squeeze her arm. "I'm sure Jimmy's right. He just needs some time to himself."
"I hope you're right," Rachel said again.
He sat in his office with his feet propped up on his desk and his hat over his eyes, contemplating the situation. He figured he would give Kid the rest of the day to show up, and then he was going to hunt him down and drag him back to Rock Creek. He had a daughter to take care of now, and Teaspoon was going to see to it that he did just that.
Teaspoon's thoughts were interrupted as Jimmy and Buck stormed into the office.
"Teaspoon, we're going after Kid," Jimmy announced.
"Now boys," Teaspoon held up his hand in an effort to calm them down. "You can't just go off and hunt the Kid down. He'll come back when he's good and ready. And," Teaspoon silenced Jimmy's protest. "If he's not good and ready by dawn tomorrow, I'll lead the hunt myself."
He still missed Lou terribly, and he knew he always would. But he was finally understanding what Lou had wanted him to see; that he still had something worth living for. He had a beautiful daughter who would need him more than ever now. He had friends who were his family. They would always support him, and grieve with him, and most importantly, remember Lou with him. They would give him the strength to go on on those days when just breathing seemed impossible.
He stood at his daughter's cradle, watching her sleep. She was so small, so fragile, and his heart jumped at the thought that she was his. She was all he had left of Lou, but more than that, she was a part of him too. Noelle began to whimper in her sleep, and Kid picked her up and held her against his chest, stopping her cry before she woke Rachel. He carried her over to the rocking chair he had so lovingly built for Lou, and gently rocked her back to sleep.
A couple hours later, Rachel quietly opened the door to check on Noelle, since she hadn't heard the baby cry in quite a while. What she saw brought tears to her eyes. Kid was rocking Noelle, gently humming to her as he fed her with the bottle the doctor had given them. He was oblivious to the rest of the world, and it took him a few minutes to sense Rachel standing there. When he did, he looked at her, and for the first time since Lou's death, his eyes held peace.
Chapter Eight
Chapter Six