Disclaimer: Oh boy it's that time again. Ok here's the boring formalities. The Young Riders is the creation of Ed Spielman, and the popery of Ogiens/Kane productions in association with MGM/UA television. For entertainment purposes only, no money is being made off of this story. Feel free to post this story on your web site or send this story to a friend with disclaimers attached. (If you have your own disclaimer posted on your site, lease keep the "Thanks" part of the disclaimer and anything else that you think might help our readers to follow the story.)
Authors Notes and Thanks: Now for the other formalities (Author's Notes and Thanks). This is an Alternate Universe story, so if things don't fit into The Young Riders Universe as you know it, that's why. Hint: You might want to forget everything about Lou's past on this one -- I've changed her past. Therefore the history of Boggs, Jeremiah, and Theresa, and Mary (Lou's mother) are going to be different also. I'm going to try to keep everyone else's past like the creators of The Young Riders had it. But please forgive me if I had to change something of some one else's history for the story. Thanks to my beta readers, my two Cyber Sisters Lynn, Suzy, Greg Maja, Josh, Hanny, and Aimee. Thank you for helping and even on a few occasions giving the scene to write when I got "writers" block, for making sure I stayed "in character", and for proofreading for all my typos, spelling, and grammar mistakes. I couldn't have written this story with out you!
April 1, 1960
"Thank you for helping out like this. I don't know how I was going to cook for all those boys with this busted arm."
"I'm just sorry that Jeremiah didn't fix that step properly. Pa's going to make him do it over."
"It shouldn't be your punishment to come out here to cook for me and the boys. It was your brother's carelessness not yours."
"Emma, you've been like a mother to me since Ma died. It's not punishment for me to come out here and help you out and spend time with a friend."
"Well, just the same thank you. I couldn't have supper on the table for all those boys and Mr. Spoon without you." Emma smiled.
"Why were they trying to show off earlier? Didn't they know they looked liked fools? And the girl. What's her name Lee? What is she doing riding for the Express?"
"Some people have no other choice, Louise. We don't know her situation. Besides, if that was the only way to survive, you would do the same thing." When Emma saw the doubtful look on Louise's face, she added "And don't deny it. You are a strong young lady and would do anything for your family. So don't go judging anyone without knowing their story."
Before Louise could answer the older woman, someone knocked on the door. When Louise opened the door, she saw a sandy haired, blue eyed young man standing at the entrance. She couldn't stop staring into those blue eyes. Eyes as crystal blue as she imagined the sea would be.
The young man seemed to be having the same problem. He couldn't take his eyes off her. He had seen her earlier that day from afar, but she was even more beautiful up close. She was wearing a pair of brown riding pants with a white tight fitting blouse. He almost forgot what he came to tell Emma. "Uh ... I'm Kid, one of the riders, Teaspoon said to tell Miss Shannon that we would have supper in the bunkhouse."
"All right, it should be ready in another half hour." Louise trembled. What is it about this guy that made her so nervous? "I'm Louise McCloud. I'm helping Emma out while her arm heals up."
"I got to get back to work." Kid said, after a moment of awkward silence.
"Who was it?" Emma asked.
"That was Kid. He said that supper would be in the bunkhouse." Louise said distractedly.
At supper that night, Emma introduced herself as the owner of the land and the house. She introduced Mary Louise McCloud as the doctor's daughter and told the boys that Louise would be cooking until Emma's arm healed up.
Jeremiah greeted Louise at the door. "Boy are you in trouble, you missed supper and Pa had to cook. And you know how he hates to cook! PA! LOUISE IS HOME!!!!" the young lad shouted.
Bogdanovich "Boggs" Jeremiah McCloud came out of his office area to see his oldest daughter trying to get in the door. However her 13 year old brother would not budge an inch. The boy wanted to see his older sister get into trouble. She never got into trouble, except when she tried to wear pants to church, but that was two years ago.
"Jeremiah, sit down at the table, Louise and I have something to discuss with you." He said in a grim voice. The boy did as he was told not sure what to expect. "Do you know why your sister is late getting in tonight?" Jeremiah shook his head no. "Do you remember that step that you fixed yesterday for Miss Shannon?"
"Yes, Sir." he said proudly.
"Remember, how you hurried through it and didn't do too good a job on it?"
"Yes, Sir, but it worked didn't it?"
"No it didn't work." Louise said angrily.
"What do you mean 'It didn't work'? You weren't there! It works fine!" he informed his sister.
"Jeremiah, if the step works fine, why did Miss Shannon come into my office this morning with a broken arm from when she fell when the step that you fixed broke when she stepped on it? She had her hands full and fell on her arm and broke it. You know how important it was that she had that step fixed by today. You know that she was supposed to start a new job today. Louise had to go over there and fix supper for 6 young men, the new stationmaster AND Emma. That's why I had to cook supper for us." Dr. McCloud was about to go on when he was interrupted.
Jeremiah had turned to his sister, the step forgotten and spoke up, "What were they like? I hear that the Pony Express is going to be wonderful! And the riders will be heroes!!!"
"You'll get a chance to meet them tomorrow after school because you're going back over there to fix that step properly!"
"But, Pa" Jeremiah wined.
"You're the one who broke it when you tried to shoot the rabbit under the porch the other day. You're the one who will fix it so that no one else gets hurt."
"Yes, Sir."
"Louise, you best be getting to bed, if you're going to help Emma out in the morning."
"Yes, Pa. Good Night. Good Night Jeremiah."
"Night Louise, you better be quiet, Theresa's been sick since we came home from school. I think she just wants to get out of the math test tomorrow."
Dr. McCloud and Louise rolled their eyes at this comment, knowing that Theresa loved school and it would be Jeremiah who would try to get sick to get out of going to school.
As the riders were getting ready for bed, Cody was trying lay his claim to Louise. "She sure is pretty."
"Who?" Lee asked, paranoid that he had seen through her disguise.
"Miss McCloud. Who'd you think I meant? Miss Shannon?"
"And what's wrong with Miss Shannon?" Lee asked teasing the boy.
"I ain't got nothing against her, it's just that Miss McCloud is...."
"A lady" Kid interrupted dreamily.
All heads turn toward the gentle rider.
"It sure did take a long time today when he went to tell Emma about dinner." Jimmy teased.
"What are you talking about?" Kid asked as he sat up on his bunk.
"We were just wondering what you and Miss McCloud were talking about." Buck said.
"Nothing" Kid blushed.
"Sure didn't look like nothing to us. And you even blush when you think about her!" Cody teased.
Lee fearing if she said anything left to go for a walk while the boys ragged Kid out. She felt sorry for him, but couldn't afford to have her identity discovered. Jimmy had to hold himself from going after the small "boy".
Ike signed something that Buck translated into "He said leave the Kid alone"
"We don't care if he likes her." Jimmy said.
"Didn't you hear, she's the doctor's daughter. Her father would never let any of us near her!" Buck said.
"Speak for yourself." Cody said as he straighted his posture.
"Leave her alone Cody. I think that Kid has staked his claim." Buck translated for Ike.
"What do you mean?" Kid asked.
"We all saw the way you looked at her at dinner. I think Cody is just trying to get to her because of her cooking." Jimmy teased both of his new friends.
Louise was sitting at the table drinking coffee when her father came in. "What are you doing up? It's late."
"Couldn't sleep. Trouble at the Saloon again?"
"No, Mrs. Davis went into labor. She has a healthy baby boy now." The doctor said with a smile. "So what's keeping you up?"
"Oh, I don't know. I just can't get those Pony Express riders out of my mind." One in particular. Kid, what is it about you that I can't stop thinking about you? Louise thought.
"What about them?"
"They're all about my age. Why are they taking on such a dangerous job? Don't they know that the Inadains'll kill 'em if they ride on their land?"
"Some people are not as lucky as you, Louise. You have me to provide for you. From what I hear, these boys have no parents. Some of them might even have younger brothers and sisters that they have to provide for. When you're in that situation, you take any job you can get."
Louise sighed, remembering Lee. I wonder what her story is. "I guess."
Dr. McCloud looked at his daughter and was reminded of the look that her mother got when she looked at him. He decided not to ask any further questions for now. He'll go out to Miss Shannon's tomorrow and see for himself which of the boys had caught his baby girl's eye. I'm not really ready for this. Mary, I could really use your help right now. He thought.
Up till now, Louise showed no interest in suitors. She thought of every "boy" in town as her "buddy". Of course, playing with them as a child, and even now she'd race them on horseback and target practice with them, probably helped in that mind set. Of course her father was thankful for that.
After breakfast at the station, the doctor made the visit he promised himself to make. Emma was on the swing watching Teaspoon train the boys. "How are you doing, Emma?"
"Just fine, thanks to Louise."
"Where is she?"
"She's in the house fixing lunch for us all."
He just nodded and sat down in a chair.
Emma just nodded. Louise's mind has been on certain young rider all morning. I bet she forgot to make a small lunch for her father because she wasn't paying attention to what she was doing.
"Jeremiah should be over right after school to fix the step properly. Feel free to make him do any extra chores around here. He has to learn that laziness is not acceptable."
"That's all right, Mr. Spoon said that the riders will be doing all the chores around here. All I have to do is cook and do their laundry. All though, Louise may take away the cooking part of my job. The boys really enjoyed their first meal here."
"Emma, Louise has learned a lot from you, but your cooking is still better than hers." Boggs smiled.
"Hey I heard that!" Louise said as she went out onto the porch. "What are you doing here, Pa?"
Boggs looked up and saw his daughter in a blue and white polka dotted dress, the top of the dress fitted and the skirt flared out. Yep, one of these boys definitely has caught her eye to get her in a dress. Boggs just smiled and kissed his daughter's hand, "I came to get some lunch. You didn't leave any thing for me."
"Yes I did. I left you some soup and bread."
"Jeremiah and Theresa took all of it to school. They said that they needed it for their lunch."
"They took all of it?" Louise asked even though she should not be surprised. Jeremiah could eat them out of house and home if they let him.
"Yep."
Louise was jealous at how much he could eat and not gain any wait. If she ate half as much as her younger brother, she would be fat as Bertha. Of course the difference between her and Bertha was Bertha was looking for a husband, Louise couldn't care less right now. So what if all the girls her age except for Cindy Nelson and Bertha Martin were married. She didn't like any of the boys in town that way. Most were good friends, like brothers. The others -- no girl wanted for a beau, let alone a husband.
"Then you and the kids should be out here for supper too, cause that was also your supper. Since you're here, you can help me take this over to the bunkhouse."
"Hey, Kid, looks like Miss McCloud already has a beau." It was Cody who saw Boggs look at Louise lovingly and decided to take it upon himself to say something to the Kid. Kid looked toward the porch just as Boggs lifted Louise's hand to kiss it.
"Kissing a lady's hand, doesn't mean anything. Where I come from that's the gentlemanly thing to do." Kid retorted. He would wait until he found out who this man was before forming an opinion. Besides, Louise wasn't his, he wished she was, but Cody just might be right. He was new in town and she wasn't. She had grown up in Sweetwater.
At lunch, Dr. McCloud was introduced to the riders and Teaspoon. He saw the young man that kept his daughter up all night. He figured out it was the one they called Kid, by the way Louise looked at him. She got the same look in her eyes that she did the night before, while talking to him. He also saw the way Kid looked at his baby girl. No matter how old she got, she would always be his baby girl. Lord, I'm not sure I'm ready for this. I think our little girl has fallen in love with a cowboy. If he could provide for her, then it wouldn't be so bad. No, I probably would find something else wrong with him. Oh, Lord, help me! How am I going to do this without Mary? He prayed. Then he told himself, Don't over react now, they're not even courting right now. Just admiring each other from afar. So maybe it won't go any feather. All Boggs knew was that his daughter was not going to struggle like he and Mary did their first few years of marriage.
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