By Marie
Copyright 1999
"Hurry up slowpoke!" Lou stamped her foot impatiently. Whoever accuse women of being slow to get ready for anything was an idiot, she thought. Men are even worse sometimes. She looked stunning in a pale yellow dress with a fitted bodice and lace edging the collar and cuffs. The long skirt was a shear white with pale blue and lavender embroidered flowers over a yellow underskirt. She had her short hair pinned up, and a few wispy pieces fell around her face. Lou had very few opportunities to dress up, so when she did, she enjoyed it as much as she could.
Lou banged on the door again. "Jimmy Hickok, if you don't hurry up and get out here, I'm going to tell everyone at home about your little 'accident' on the way here!" She laughed to herself as she remembered Jimmy's embarrassing tumble into the creek.
Jimmy's door swung open and he stepped out. "Be careful Lou, or I'll make you pay for your own dinner!" He offered her his arm, and with her hand tucked into the crook formed by his elbow, the two set off for a night on the town.
Lou secretly studied Jimmy as they walked along. When the two had arrived in Moss Grove, he had been covered in mud and still damp from his 'swim.' Now he looked incredibly handsome. He had cleaned up and was dressed in a clean white collared shirt and black pants. Lou hid a smile as Jimmy tugged at the collar, uncomfortable in such nice clothes.
"You know," she said. "I think this is a good idea. It's nice to get away from Sweetwater for a while."
Jimmy nodded in understanding. Ever since Lou and Kid had broken up, an awkwardness had existed between the two riders. Recently it had seemed to get better, but the last couple days had been pretty bad. The riders had attended a dance in town, and Kid had devoted all his attention to a pretty young lady; he even walked her home afterwards. He seemed quite smitten, and the next day talked of nothing but Angela Gordon. Jimmy could tell that Lou was upset. He had finally gotten her to talk about it, and she had surprised him. He knew she still loved Kid, so he assumed it was just a case of jealousy.
It's not that I'm jealous, Jimmy, Lou has said. It's just that she's so pretty and can let everyone know it. I love riding for the Express, but sometimes I just wish I could forget the disguise and let everyone know who I really am. I don't really care if Kid courts someone else; we broke up.
Jimmy knew what Lou didn't say. Kid could have other girlfriends, but because she had to pretend that she was a boy, it was impossible for her to have other boyfriends. That's why when Teaspoon assigned this special run to Jimmy, he had suggested Lou come along. Teaspoon quickly agreed, knowing she needed to get away. Moss Grove was not one of their regular runs, so Lou could dress up without fear of being recognized. Jimmy planned to treat her to a nice dinner and then take her to a dance.
The two had just ordered their meals when a well-dressed man approached them.
"Excuse me, ma'am, sir," he addressed them, then turned to Jimmy. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but are you Wild Bill Hickok?"
Lou looked at Jimmy worriedly. He was always being called out by fame-seeking gunfighters, wanted to make a name for themselves by beating Wild Bill in a shoot-out. In fact, the last time the two of them had a night on the town, Lou had been kidnapped by a gunfighter seeking revenge for an injury Jimmy had given him.
"I'm sorry, you must be mistaken. My name is Jimmy," Jimmy's look warned the man not to question any further.
"My apologies," the man said, turning to leave. "Please, enjoy your meal."
Suddenly, the two riders weren't in the mood for a long meal, so when their food arrived, they ate quickly and left the restaurant. They strolled towards the other end of town, hoping the dance would help them get their minds off the trouble at dinner.
Two hours later, Lou came to sit beside Jimmy. Her face was glowing, and she was out of breath. Jimmy had danced the first dance with her before someone had cut in. Since then, Lou had a different partner asking her for every dance. Jimmy had danced with a few girls before finding a chair from which he could watch Lou having fun. He could tell she was enjoying herself; his idea had been a good one.
"Why aren't you dancing?" Lou sat gracefully in the chair beside him.
"Well, the prettiest girl here had partners lined up all the way to St. Louis. There was no chance that I would be able to dance with her again, so I decided to watch her instead."
"Really, which one is she?" Lou asked, feigning ignorance. She pointed to one of the girls Jimmy had danced with earlier. "Is it her?"
"Yep. You sure were reading my mind," Jimmy grinned at her, calling her bluff.
They laughed softly and sat, quietly enjoying the moment. A few minutes later, Jimmy noticed a handsome young man heading their way. He quickly jumped up and held his had out to Lou. "May I have the pleasure of this dance, Miss Louise?"
"Why you certainly may, Mr. Hickok," Lou replied, putting her hand in his. Jimmy grinned at the look of disappointment on the young man's face as he led Lou onto the dance floor.
"What are you laughing about?" Lou teased as the band began to play a waltz.
"Oh, that young gentleman over there. It seems he was on his way to ask you to dance, but I thwarted his plans." Lou had to laugh at the look of satisfaction on Jimmy's face.
"Look at all the stars. Isn't it a pretty night?" Lou gazed at the sky as they danced. The dance was being held outside, and the night sky was clear, allowing thousands of stars to shine brightly.
"I haven't noticed," Jimmy smiled. "I've been too busy looking at you."
"That's sweet Jimmy," Lou said, blushing.
"No, it's just true."
On to Chapter Two
