Lou made sure to get up early and be quiet about it when she left the next morning. She knew what all the glares at Noah the night before had meant. Someone was going to have the requisite talk with her about being careful and staying out of trouble. She’d gotten it from all of them, but Kid had taken over the job almost completely when they got together. When they weren’t speaking Jimmy would usually just go out to the barn with her and not say anything, knowing she already knew the Kid had asked him to watch her. That morning though Jimmy was off on a run and Kid’s bunk was empty when Lou left so the surprise was going to be who would follow her.

“What are you doing up so early?” Lou asked annoyed to see that the Kid hadn’t left the station, but had been waiting for her next to Lightning’s stall all morning. “And before you say anything to me about being careful I’m a big girl, Kid. I know how to take care of myself. If I didn’t Teaspoon would have fired me a long time ago.”

“Well, I guess you’ve got things under control then,” Kid said and headed out the door without saying another word.

The way he left made Lou think. She couldn’t understand why he had simply done what she had always asked him to, let her be a normal person without his worrying. It almost felt like something had been dropped on her head. Even when they fought they were at least concerned for the other, this time Kid seemed to care less about her safety. It was almost frightening to her to think that phase of her life had ended. Annoying as it was, at least she always had the reassurance that someone out there cared about her.

“I don’t believe it. He’s punishing me for punishing him,” Lou finally concluded after she’d been riding for an hour. “This is new.”

Lou shook her head and laughed out loud. The idea that Kid was trying a new tactic to get her to forgive him simply fascinated her. He had never done anything but beg her to forgive him, of course he wasn’t always blatant about it, but it had always happened.

“When it rains it pours,” Lou muttered as she came to a part of the trail that had been washed out. “I guess this means we’re taking the long way, huh, Lightning?”

Lou was so tired and late by the time she delivered the mail to the Snake River station that she decided to stay there for the night and leave early the next morning. All though she couldn’t stand staying there since she and the station master didn’t like each other, there were a couple of advantages she managed to find about staying. The bunk house was practically empty, the only people in there were already asleep when Lou arrived late and it gave her the chance to test how serious Kid was about acting indifferent toward her during the fight. Having to go home the next day did become more of an aggravation to her, though. She knew Kid would probably be waiting on her just like he always had. That would fuel the next argument, not to say the one over his slip of the tongue was over by any means.

Even with all the pros and cons Lou managed to list out before she fell asleep that night, she knew it was a good idea she had stayed there. While tormenting the Kid was a plus, Harry Mac Neil had come in right before her with a story about being chased most of the way there. He was well known for exaggerations when it came to why he was late, but at least now Lou had someone to back up why she had stayed in Snake River. Inwardly Lou thanked Harry for showing up. Teaspoon may not have believed a word Harry ever said, but he couldn’t get mad at Lou for not wanting to leave the weigh station after hearing a story like that.

Harry had taken care of that problem at least. Lou couldn’t exactly go yelling at Teaspoon for worrying over her when she showed up a day or so late. At the very least, he was showing concern for one of his riders and wasn’t looking forward to having to explain to Russell, Majors, and Wadell how a girl happened to get injured in the line of duty when she wasn’t supposed to be there to begin with.

As for the rest of them, Lou could be angry with them all she wanted when they acted like older brothers. She had learned how to take care of herself and her siblings young enough and no one had been around to help her then. Of course, not every fight she had with them was about whatever they were bothering her over. She knew part of the time it was also an excuse to blow off steam over anything else that happened to be bothering her at the moment.

Kid was the special case in those kinds of fights. Since he was usually what got her all fired up in the first place she would save a lot of it for him. To his credit though, he took it well. Lou had said some pretty hard things to him before, but he always stood there and hopelessly tried to defend himself. Most of the time things would be over in a few days and Lou would end up apologizing in some way other than actually having to say “I’m sorry”. She rarely bothered to apologize to the others since both sides would get in a few good jabs at the other. This time though, Kid had changed the rules and a lot would depend on how he reacted to her coming home the next morning.

“Let’s see if I got this straight. Lou and Kid are fighting and we should be worried about this because?” Cody asked the others as they played cards. He’d been gone for over a week with a special dispatch and bad weather.

“They won’t even be in the same room together and Lou should have been back from Snake River by now and Kid isn’t even breaking a sweat over it,” Buck explained for the third time that night.

“What else is new? Lou can take care of herself. There’s nothing to worry about. I still don’t see the problem.”

“The point is, Cody, that we know we don’t need to worry about her, but the Kid always does. This time he isn’t. He doesn’t even seem to care about her being gone. Last time this happened he tried to move her in with Rachel, now he’s in town doing who knows what,” Jimmy said, noticing that he actually sounded more like Teaspoon than he ever thought he would. He guessed some of the advice he’d heard had finally sunk in. “Straight,” was Cody’s only reply. “Looks like I win.”

Jimmy sighed, threw his cards down on the table, and got up to leave. No one even looked up. They figured he was tired of the game and being beaten by Cody who was a less than gracious winner. Jimmy had intended to head into town to find the Kid and talk some sense into him. As much as it bothered him to hear Kid worry about Lou incessantly, what worried him more were the moments he didn’t seem concerned about her at all. He didn’t get too far though, he noticed the Kid standing out at the corral, staring off into the dark horizon.

“You’re thinking about her aren’t you?” Jimmy asked, taking a place next to Kid. “What makes you say that?” Kid asked without bothering to look at whoever was talking to him. He had expected Rachel or Teaspoon to come out and tell him what to say when Lou came home.

“The two of you may be fighting now, but I know as well as anyone that doesn’t mean you stop caring. You know, I shouldn’t have to tell you this, but she knows what she’s doing. She’ll take care of herself and be back by tomorrow and the two of you will be fighting again like always and you’ll be as happy as ever,” Jimmy stated as though he was telling someone the sun was going to come up in the morning.

“I don’t think so, Jimmy,” Kid said and walked away leaving him in a stupor.

“This is going to be interesting,” Jimmy thought wondering what was going to happen when Lou rode in the next day to find the Kid even more quiet toward her than before.

“How was your ride, Lou?” Jimmy asked the next morning when Lou arrived home.

“It was all right. The trail was washed out, so I had to take the long way around and didn’t get to Snake River until after dark,” Lou said instinctively defending her decision to stay there.

“Yeah, well, important thing is that you’re back in one piece, right?”

“Yeah,” Lou said, eyeing Jimmy suspiciously. “Is there something going on around here that I don’t know about? Did someone get shot last night?”

“No, what makes you say that?”

“Usually the Kid is waiting for me to get back, not you. You’re asking questions that normally you never would. Are you feeling all right? Or are you just trying to make me forget that the Kid isn’t out here and you are?”

“That would be it. Lou, I’m sorry.”

“About what? Jimmy, we fight. That’s what people do when they spend enough time with each other. It’s not like we haven’t had fights before. This one is a little different, I know, but that’s because the Kid isn’t going to admit he’s wrong. He is wrong, this fight is his fault. I know that sounds unfair or that I’m blaming him like always, but it is his fault this time. I’m not going to let him win just because he’s giving me the silent treatment.”

“You got this figured out pretty well. You think you two will get back together?”

“I think that all depends on whether or not he stops trying to make me think it was my fault and not his.”

“Good luck,” Jimmy said and began to head back to the bunk house.

“Jimmy, did he say something to you?” Lou asked, worried he might know what had gone on between them and how embarrassing it was to her.

“Yeah, he said something.”

“It wasn’t about what we’re fighting about, was it?”

“Nope. But if you want to tell me, I’ll listen.”

“Maybe one of these days I will,” Lou said wondering when she would ever feel as comfortable with anyone else as she did with Rachel when it came to talking to someone. She felt better at the thought of Jimmy offering her someone to talk to without any conditions. There weren’t conditions when she talked to the Kid, at least none that she list out right, but there was always a consequence. Usually it resulted in him trying to take more of her into his life instead of understanding she was looking more freedom. With Jimmy there didn’t appear to be that kind of consequence. It could be a nice change, actually talking to a guy who wasn’t expecting anything in return.

On to Chapter Three

Be sure to send some feedback!

Campfire Tales Way Station

Tales of the West Saddlin' Station