Chapter Three

Louise sobbed the entire way back to the station, and Cassie couldn’t get a coherent explanation out of her. Quinn, for almost the first time in his young life, was speechless.

As soon as they arrived at the station, Lou leapt from the buckboard and ran toward the barn, where she promptly saddled Lightning and raced out of the yard. She didn’t know where she was heading, but she had to get away. She needed to be alone.

Cassie and Quinn sat dumbfounded as they watched Lou. This wasn’t the woman they knew. Wasn’t she supposed to be happily married? Albeit the week had been traumatic by all accounts, but her behavior was pretty surprising.

But there was one reason, and one reason only, they were back in Rock Creek. Noah. Cassie quickly gathered what she could carry inside and Quinn gallantly helped her down from the buckboard. They were met on the porch steps by Rachel, whose face was puzzled as she watched Lou ride away.

“Cassie, Quinn,” she greeted them, opening her arms in an embrace. “I’m so glad you could come! You had a good trip?”

“If ya call bouncin’ around in a stage and eatin’ and breathin’ dirt all day good, I guess you could say we did,” Quinn quipped.

“It wasn’t bad at all, Rachel,” Cassie answered politely. “Thank you for letting us stay.”

“Of course, Cassie,” Rachel answered. “I only hope it will help, for Noah’s sake. I don’t mean to be rude, but what on earth happened to Louise?”

Cassie shook her head. “I have no idea. She was waitin’ for us when we got off the stage, but there wasn’t a way to get our trunk here, so she went to get a horse and buckboard from the livery. She came back bawlin’ and I never did find out why.”

Rachel bowed her head knowingly. She knew about Kid’s job at the livery, but he’d sworn her to secrecy. Evidently, Louise had found out, but Rachel was surprised that she’d taken it the way she had. That certainly wasn’t like Lou. But then, everyone was emotionally on edge. Poor Lou had probably fallen off the proverbial edge.

“Well, we best get you two settled,” Rachel offered. She placed a comforting arm around Cassie and whispered, “Noah will be glad you’re here.”

Cassie looked at her, confused at first, but then realizing Rachel was pinning her hopes of Noah’s recovery on Cassie’s presence. “I hope so, Rachel,” she answered.



Lou rode Lightning hard and fast, not knowing where she was heading. A few weeks away from the Express, and she hadn’t realized how much she missed it. The fresh air. The pure freedom. The chance to be alone, to think.

As her tears ebbed, she slowed Lightning to a walk. Thinking. That was her problem lately. She didn’t know if she’d been thinking too much and letting her thoughts run away with her, or if she hadn’t been thinking enough. Obviously, she hadn’t been thinking when she lashed out at Kid. She’d said some horrible things; things she didn’t know if he’d ever forgive her for. She had no call to act that way towards him. He was her husband, and she’d vowed to stand by him, through good times and bad. She certainly wasn’t doing a very good job of that.

Lou stopped and climbed off Lightning, sitting down on a nearby tree stump. She realized that Kid’s thoughts ran a lot deeper than Jimmy, Noah, or Jesse, or even worries about money. As much as she wished it weren’t so, she knew he was agonizing over leaving Rock Creek. Leaving to fight for the South. It was only a matter of time. He’d told her himself that he’d fight for Virginia, to preserve the memories he had of his childhood there.

Tears welled in Lou’s eyes as she wondered if he’d leave now without telling her, without saying good-bye. She’d probably made his decision an easy one, attacking him like she had. What if he left before she could apologize? What if he left and never came back? Her breathing became rapid as she began to panic. She climbed back on Lightning and spurred him towards town, anxious to find Kid, hoping she’d get there before it was too late.



Prologue Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6

Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12

Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18

Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Epilogue



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The Storybook

The Kidnation