© Becca, Dana Simmons and Starbright 2001 The Young Riders is an Ogiens/Kane Production, created by Ed Spielman.
We only borrow his characters for fun. No infringement of copyright intended. There is absolutely no financial gain for the authors. We survive on the feedback, and we need plenty of it.

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Chapter 22

Jimmy peered at Amanda on the other side of the round table. It was so early they were all alone in the new hotel restaurant, having their morning meal in the cosy cabinet. They hadn't said much since they left Amanda's room and Jimmy felt totally at ease with the silence. Uptil now. Now that he had been watching the woman he had spent last night with he started wondering from where the unusual pensive expression on her face originated. He watched while she absentmindedly scooped the artificial jam on her equally artificial bread and started drawing figures with her knife in the red dense liquid that was supposed to resemble strawberry jam. Staring down on the sandwich she drew circles and squares onto the spounge-like breadsubstitute.

Jimmy felt sorry for having dragged her into the place. He should have taken her back to the station and gotten her some real food. The restaurant was still to get the supply schedules in order. And they still had to provide it with the basics for some decent food.

"Manda," he called at last, "what's up?"

Her gaze flew from the bread to his eyes, a glint of annoyance turning to a sarcastic smile at the sight of him. "Don't ever call me that!"

"What? Manda? It's... cute," he smiled teasingly at her, realizing he had never used that word in any discourse with a woman before. But with Amanda it sat just fine, Manda was endearing and lovable - cute.

"Well I'm not 'cute'," she pouted, "anything but 'cute', I hate everything that's 'cute'!"

"All right, message taken," he chuckled, "but I guess you and I have different opinions of cuteness. I specially like when you wrinkle your nose. But I'd like to know why?"

"Jimmy, please," she groaned demonstratively, "don't turn cute on me!"

"God forbid," he shot back, sliding his hand over the table to nudge hers. "I won't ever be 'cute' if you tell me what you're thinking 'bout."

"Actually I was thinking about you Jimmy."

"Me? What about me?"

"I was in snooping around in the HuRec archive yesterday, trying to find more evidence and I came up on your file. Why didn't you tell me?"

His heart stopped in his chest, memories rushing in over him at the mere mentioning of the event. Guilt hammering in his temples. Even though she obviously only knew half of the truth, the part that was to be found in his profile, it was more than enough. He swallowed back the pain.

"I'm sorry Jimmy, didn't mean to dig into your background, I just tried to follow a lead. I'm sorry about what happened to you." She was looking right at him, her eyes concerned.

He still couldn't talk, afraid to reveal how fresh the pain still was. After all these years.

But I understand better now, the situation with you and Kid I mean."

"Yeah," he finally cracked, hoping to end the discussion here and now. This was something he'd rather keep all to himself, something he'd rather forget all together. But he never would. "Just don't tell the others, right?"

A surprised arching of eyebrows. "But..."

The plea in his eyes silenced her and she nodded. "Okay Jimmy. And I'm sorry for mentioning it. Won't happen again. You done so we can get outta here?"

He just nodded.

She rose and extended him a hand. "Come on, let's get to the station and see if them lovebirds have finally gotten things right." Turning to look at him she smiled; "or maybe we need to teach them a lesson or two?"

Taking her hand he rose to follow her to the door and out into the morning light. Silently they crossed the new "Colonial Street" and made their way to the livery-stables. True to her words Amanda didn't utter a word while they walked and Jimmy had the time to get his feelings in check again. Stopping outside the door he squeezed her hand and brought her to a standstill. Turning to face him her eyes were calm and serene.

He wasn't big on words and such - but he needed to express his gratitude for her understanding. Her sense to let it sit and not saying she understood or that it wasn't his fault. Things he had heard a million times from people who had no idea what he went through. He needed to let her know he appreciated her discretion. "Thank you," he said silently.

She smiled briefly at him before turning to drag him on.

Jimmy felt that for the first time he might have found a woman he could tell everything. A woman who'd let him be what he was, with memories and all. That the past that was haunting him really didn't matter. He clutched her hand tighter, feeling totally at ease with himself and with her. And that was the first time in a long while.

Lou cursed her decision to make breakfast. Her thoughts were everywhere else but on the task at hand. More often than not she found herself walking to the window, checking for signs of the man sent out to take care of the animals. It took him far too long this morning. And she longed for him.

Then she caught a glimpse of him walking crooked behind the woodpile. Her eyes squinted she tried to figure out what he was doing. The bent position and the way his head occasionally disappeared out of sight behind the pile, only to reemerge with a smirk on his face had her totally bewildered. It looked like he was dragging something behind him. Opening the window she stuck her head out and hollered for him.

He turned to look at her, surprised.

Then he let out a yelp and bent down. There was some hustling and Kid reappeared, rubbing his hand, looking disgusted. "YOU STINKIN' LITTLE LOWLIFE!"

The holler had her blink. Watching more closely as he started running, moments before an angry bleat filled the air and vanished behind the house, Kid behind it.

"COME BACK 'ERE YA HORNED MISFIT OR I'LL..."

The rest of the words vanished.

"Belle?" Lou muttered and crept out through the window, running to the end of the porch and swinging herself over the railing.

The man and the beast were circling the drying frame, Kid stepping over the clothes lying spread in the dirt around it, wheezing threats as he did. "I'll de-worm ya three times a day Belle I swear, once I get my hands on'ya you'll be sorry ya ever saw me."

The goat snapped a sock off the rack and glared triumphantly at the desperate man following her.

"You sleazeball," Kid hissed.

Lou started laughing heartily, she just couldn't help it. Despite Kid's glare in her direction she couldn't stop.

Belle chewed twice on the sock and spit it out.

Lou squealed and sank to the ground, gasping for air.

Kid took a leap in the goat's direction, missing pitifully and tangling himself up in what seemed to be the remnants of a shirt. He stumbled twice, still reaching for the retreating goat and plunged head first into the grass.

Belle jumped over him and galloped happily to freedom. Her course obviously the hogs' muddy corral.

Kid sat and up and wide-eyedly watched the happy strut of his prey. He had a grass-stained T-shirt draped over the left shoulder.

Out of breath Lou crawled over to him, removed the dirty fabric off his shoulder and kissed his lips with a loud smack. "You're so cute!"

"I send a perfectly clean man outside and what is returned to me?" Still laughing she dragged him inside. Steadily on her way to the sink to get most of the grime off him.

"I thought you said I was cute?"

Halfway over the kitchen floor she just had to stop and turn around to watch him. He had dirt on the tip of his nose and the hair was in disarray, he looked adorable. Giggling she threw her arms around him and hugged him close. "You are cute sweetie, a little dirty maybe, but definitely cute."

Disappearing into a bear-hug she smiled at the warmth of his embrace.

"Thought you'd like dirty," he whispered huskily to her hair, "I'll be dirty if you want me to."

For a split second she wanted to say 'yes' and forget all about the work they had ahead of them. But instead she pushed him away from her, shaking her head. "Kid you gotta wash up, brunch is done. And thanks to you we have washing waiting to be done too, on top of everything else." Wriggling out of his hold she patted his shoulder affectionately, "how could'ya have forgotten to get the clothes last night?"

"How could I... well little missy, last night something came up."

Grabbing his wrist she steered him to the sink and flicked the water on. "Up you say?"

He grinned at her implication and took the towel she handed him. "Likely to happen again I'd say."

"Promises, promises," she leaned in to wink at him, "the way you keep chasing all other females - I wonder."

"Don't remind me," Kid groaned and let the water fill the cupped hands. "God, I hate that goat!"

Unable to keep her hands off him she rested one innocently on his back. Biting down on her lip as the muscles moved under her fingers. Thoughtfully she looked at his cupped hands as they filled with water and brought it up to rinse the tanned skin, leaving it glistening. Pure. Even his moves are sensuous, she thought astonished, I am so lost to this bloody man!

"Lou, what's the odd smell?" He asked with a glance over his shoulder at her.

Hands gripping the towel.

Lou snapped out of it, "Oh my God!"

The distinct odor of rapid charcoaling reached her nostrils. "I can't believe this!" Running up to the stove she opened it. Thick smoke welled out in a cloud. She stepped back. "I forgot the dumb bread! I can't believe it did that! I used the automatic mode for crying out loud! This shouldn't have happened. Damned!" She was repelled at the coal lumps on the plate. "I don't understand this," she ranted, "it shouldn't happen with the timer and all!"

Kid walked up to stand behind her, the towel still in hand. She cringed at the low chuckle.

"Works better when it's on," he mused, extending a hand around her waist to push the button in. "Seems I'm not the only disaster in the kitchen. Or are these Louise's famous coaly lumps?"

"Oh shut up," she retaliated. Cheeks warming from both his proximity and her own mistake. "You and Belle running around the yard had me distracted, that's all. I can bake bread with my eyes closed."

He leaned in on her and she was able to feel the laughter in him, and it made her mad... and tingly.

"Don't worry Lou, we'll just serve them to Belle, that outta teach her."

She turned around, ready to bite his head off. "You sneaky little..."

"I love you Lou."

The words disarmed her efficiently. His twinkling blue eyes and the waterdrops in his hair had her laugh. His words padding her heart with heat, sending her silent for a moment. Not knowing how to respond she looked pointedly at the water dripping onto his front. "Wipe your face cowboy," she leered at him.

He lowered his face and carefully wiped it on her shoulder.

"Argh," Lou spat out, "you're really begging for it ain't ya."

Raising his head to look at her he smiled wickedly, "took you long enough to figure that out, didn't it? And you still owe me a meal, remember?"

"Oh well damn, anything you ask." Pinching him affectionately, castigating him tenderly for having thought he'd have his way with her that easily.

"I'd love an apple-pie," he grinned at her.

"An apple-pie? You want an apple-pie now?" Wrinkling her nose at him, not believing what he was asking. But needing to swipe the gleam of mischief out of his eyes. "Hell, I can manage that!"

"A 'real' apple-pie, I want the authentic thing, not those things you can get out of a tin. See, I'm a guy who goes for the real thing." He clinched her closer. Close enough for her to feel the tightness of his muscles, the lean strength in his frame. Close enough to have her ready to promise him anything and everything, close enough to make her breath catch.

Still looking at her intently with a crooked smile he held on to her. "Can you give me that?"

"The real thing? Sure." Desperately she tried to activate her EA and search the dB for a recipe. The damned apparatus didn't respond so her hand flew up to adjust it. The broadening smile on Kid's face stopped her. "What?"

His body shivered slightly from the suppressed laughter as he ducked to look into her eyes. "Your EA is still on the recreation room floor, sweetie, something must have distracted you awfully last night. And I bet it wasn't Belle."

Laughing she pounded on his chest, "I know how to make an apple-pie Kid! I swear I do."

"You were trying to cheat."

"No I wasn't, I was just rearranging my hair. And you wouldn't recognize the real thing even if it bit you!"

His hand traveled up from the small of her back to ruffle her hair. Lou closed her eyes and rested her head on his shoulder, basking in his warmth. Feeling his breath on her cheek she turned to watch him, the teasing smile still plastered on his face. Her fingers gripping his shirt when lips claimed hers. Turning his tender kiss into a passionate one. Stopping him from breathing for a while. Making her hold on to him like she was drowning. "Oh God," she whispered as they had to come up for air.

"Lou, you better believe me, I know the real thing," he murmured to her temple, "and..."

The squeaking sound from the porch had her instinctively push him away and turn to the sound. Two heads disappeared from the window.

"Lou?" Kid let out, surprised at her action. "What's wrong?"

Lou was already at the door and flung it wide open, a low curse directed at the intruders following. "I seen the two of you!" The two behind the door tried to arrange their faces to neutral ones.

"What? Who?" Kid questioned.

"Didn't mean to disturb," Jimmy explained with a badly concealed leer. "Thought you'd be done by now?"

"We just came for some decent food that's all." Amanda chirped, "but if you're busy...we can always eat in the barn."

"What are you talkin' 'bout?" She glared at them both, hoping they hadn't actually seen what she was afraid of.

"Just thought you'da gotten further than that already." Jimmy remarked, glancing over at the Kid. A wink at Amanda and then they both inched themselves in through the door.

"Oh brother," Lou moaned and turned her back to the pair. Looking at Kid she found him leaned up against the counter, arms across his chest. Eyes glued to her. She begged him silently not to say anything.

Jimmy caught a glimpse of the evidence in the oven. "Oh oh," he let out with a low whistle. "Didn't the two of you manage to get untangled in time or what?"

"Stop it," Lou's cheeks glowing furiously she stomped the floor. "Nothing happened, nothing at all." Realizing she had somehow stepped right into the trap they were rigging she glanced anew at Kid and shook her head in a sign for him to not reveal the truth. She wasn't ready for it to get out. It was too new, too precious to be tossed around or painted on the wall. "I had to help Kid with Belle and forgot the timer. Let up with the bread already."

Jimmy and Amanda threw each other an amused glance.

"I was just wondering about the groping I just witnessed, that's all." Amanda made her way to the oven and peeked inside. "Yuk!"

Lou eyed Kid, hoping for him to understand what she was about to say, that she said it to shield them both. "I was just trying to teach Kid to dance."

"Dance? Well that's one way to put it," Jimmy's quick response was colored with glee, "so what was it? A slow fox-trot or a heated tango?"

"Jimmy, back off!" Kid finally spoke up and Lou rewarded him with a grateful look.

"I'm sorry Kid, just wanted..."

"Jimmy," Kid's voice was a clear warning and Lou's eyes wandered over to Jimmy. He calmly looked at Kid and nodded, an unspoken agreement. Lou again felt the bond between the two of them, the respect both men held for each other despite all animosity.

"All right,"Amanda said to brake the tension, "whatever you call it you still need to eat. And we have something to tell you."

"Did some dancing of yourself did ya," Kid remarked with a faint smile.

Lou's eyes darted to Amanda, a smile spreading over her face at the feigned callousness on her friend's unusually stoic face. Oh they both looked guilty all right. Smugly she let her eyes wander over the two of them, letting them know she held something on them, just in case.

Her eyes met with Kid's glittering ones and she made a decision. Walking up to him she nestled her arm around his waist. "Dancin' ain't so bad after all, now is it?"

She wasn't prepared for the outburst of laughter following her statement, neither the kiss Kid gave her. Heedless of the companions' chuckles. Normally she would have whacked anybody that showed her that kind of affection in public.

She rested her blushing cheek on his shirtfront, grateful when his arms came around her. Feeling safe despite all, like nothing would ever hurt her again. She smiled at herself, not believing it really would be this easy after all. The first time in ages she had taken support from a man, and the world hadn't come crumbling down. The first time she had ever openly showed her affection for somebody that really mattered to her, the first time loving someone like this felt perfectly right.

It was the middle of the night, the room was greenish black in its humid darkness. Uneasily he drifted in and out of sleep, had done so through the better part of the night. He sensed something was calling his attention, but he felt too unfocused to really get a grip of the situation. There was something not right, the thought kept nagging at him, making him fight to emerge to full alertness.

The apparatus behind his ear kept calling for his attention. Relentlessly.

With a groan he turned to his back, unconsciously checking if he was alone. The feeling of urgency spreading through him as he wondered how long it had been calling for him while he writhed in the shadowland between sleep and awakened mode. Partly because of the ungodly hour, partly because of the relentlessness of whoever was calling for him. He positioned himself and flicked on the EA, thought mode, just to be sure.

The man on the other end was just as cautious, he felt himself being scanned to secure his identity. The action of the other man made him alert at once.

You alone?

Yes. He thought back, not entirely sure who he was speaking to, needing some confirmation. Is it you?

Someone's been investigating.

Investigating what? His irritation was surfacing, he hated the man's paranoid behavior, this had happened before, for no reason. What the hell are you talking about? I have it all under control, you just lay low for a while and keep your nose clean. In a week or so we will be in full operation again.

You keep saying that, but I don't trust you. Someone in the Sweetwater group has been going through some files. Someone with high command and access.

He smiled to himself shaking his head. No-one has such a high command or such access that they can get to us. No-one except me.

So why are they snooping?

You don't know they are, they might be looking for something else entirely. Nobody knows nothing Longley!

Don't even think that name! Jesus, I told you! You're starting to slip.

We're on the securest of lines and in thought mode! Who's slipping here exactly? The mere insinuation of him not being in control had him enraged, how did the lowlife dare? he had helped him gain freedom and power. Now he was about to give him immense wealth too. How dared he?

I need to take care of it. I don't like the snooping. Makes me nervous and I might start to leave traces to incriminate....

All right! Do what you feel needs to be done. Just do it silently, no need for them all to go out in a bang like last time you handled things! You know who it is?

Yes, that O'Connoll woman.

He fell back onto the pillows, he liked Amanda, but he knew she was dangerous too. Bright and with a remarkable deduction skill. As dangerous as a woman gets. She'd have to go. I'll leave it to you, he thought in reply, just don't do any mistakes, I don't wanna know how you're gonna do it or anything. Because this will all be on your conscience, has nothing to do with the operation or anything. This is just you and your damned paranoia. But do what you need to do.

I'll need something from you thou.

Like what?

As the man on the other end started to lay out his plan he laid back and smiled. He was good and no-one would ever suspect anything. Hopefully. And no-one would be able to figure it out. At least not until it was too late. If he played his cards right it could be used as a scaring technique too. To keep them pioneers on theirs toes, fearing for their lives and not even minding the operation. You'll get it, he promised when Longley was done. Sounds like a plan to me.

Nocere necessere est, the man confirmed, laughing.

Et exitus semper exspectare, he shrugged and closed the connection.

Oddly he found it hard to find sleep after the discussion. The earlier tension replaced by another. A tension bordering bad conscience. One woman's death was a small price to pay. But it kept nagging him all the same. And the more he thought about it the more he came to realize it was far to risky to leave it in Longley's hands, the man had no brains. He'd never be able to do it without leaving tracks. And if he was caught he'd squeal, he was a fink. Anything to get out of trouble. He'd have to do it himself, if not for anything else to placate Longley. He'd tell him tomorrow. He'd just have to refine the plan slightly, make it waterproof.

The green in the room became more evident as the hours lingered by, painfully slow and turned the night into another day.

TBC

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