Leaving her wrapped snuggly in the blanket he wrapped the sheet from the bed around his lower half and walked over to the door.

"Jimmy," he heard a voice come through the door.

Cracking open the door just a bit he stuck his head out still rubbing the sleep from his eyes with the other hand, growling, "This better be good." He hadn't taken notice yet of who the person on the other side of the door was.

"Are you busy?" Kid asked as he looked back down the corridor of the hotel.

Jimmy looked back over his shoulder and then back at his friend. "Not at the moment," he said with a very wicked looking grin.

"Sorry," Kid said a blush staining his cheeks, "I didn't know you had company."

"It's alright, Kid, what do you need?" Jimmy asked this voice sounding tired.

"I was just wondering if you'd seen Lou? She's not in her room," Kid replied his face worried.

"Well," Jimmy looked back over his shoulder as the other person in the room said something Kid didn't see her since…" The other person in the room giggled and Jimmy shook his head.

"Damn it, Jimmy," Kid said as he busted through the door causing Jimmy to stumble backwards and fall over the chair behind him. "I knew it. I knew some day you'd try something like this!" he shouted toward his friend his back to bed not wanting to see the woman in it.

"Kid, what the hell!" Jimmy shouted as he stood up.

"I knew you wanted her, Hickok but his is low even for you!" Kid shouted as he started toward Jimmy.

Jimmy was now on the defensive and shouted back angrily, "You're making a huge mistake, Kid! It's not what you think!"

"Yeah, it is," Kid shouted as he pointed behind him to the bed. He glanced in that direction and noticed the form wrapped in the quilt on the bed.

"And just what is it you're thinking?" Jimmy asked his face dark wanting Kid to give voice to exactly what he was accusing him of.

By now all of their shouting had drawn a small curious crowd from the folks staying in the hotel. They stood just outside the door and only a few had stayed more then a few minutes.

"You know what I'm thinking. You just couldn't wait could you, Hickok. How long you been planning this? Huh?" Kid growled as he now stood toe to toe with Jimmy.

"Planning what Kid?" Jimmy asked as he stepped around Kid and sat down on the chair he'd fallen over. He picked up the pants that he'd discarded rather quickly earlier. He started to pull them on trying to stay covered with the sheet, so as not to give any more of a show to their audience.

"You know what, Jimmy." Kid ran a hand through his hair. It turned his stomach to say the words, "You seduced Lou when you know I still care about her."

Buck and Cody had come running when they heard the shouting. Now they stood in the door way having pushed the gawkers back behind them watching their friends. Buck's expression was neutral but Cody was grinning, "Kid, I don't believe this is what it seems," Cody said his grin faultering a bit as he pointed toward the bed. He'd noticed when he started to speak the person stiffened. 'Maybe Kid as right,' he thought for a moment then dismissed the thought a moment later.

Kid wouldn't look toward the bed. He just couldn't stand to see Lou sitting there flush from making love to Jimmy, so he didn't know the young woman was still huddled in the quilt with her back to them.

"Cody's right, Kid," Buck said as a door at the end of the hall slammed shut. Buck glanced in that direction and even with his dark coloring he paled.

Kid shook his head. "Why are you two sticking up for him?" he asked a lot of hurt in his voice and look of pain on his face. "He slept with Lou can't you see that."

As Lou stepped between Cody and Buck wrapped in a long dressing gown fresh from a bath, the two friends looked at each other and beat a hasty retreat. They had the good grace to wait until they were out of the hotel to look at each other and laugh.

Lou looked from Jimmy to Kid and back again, then looking at Kid asked, "He what?"

"Lou?" Kid said his voice low and a look of confusion on his face. He looked up at Lou and what his saw scared him more then anything. Her looked was that of hurt mixed with a good deal of anger. Jimmy stepped between them, shooting Kid a warning look as he did, and walked over to the other side of the bed picking up a dressing gown from the floor as he did. He then helped the young woman that had been wrapped in the quilt to sit up and helped her into the robe. She began to cry softly and Jimmy pulled her into his arms trying to comfort her.

Lou smiled at Jimmy for a moment from the way he held on to the young woman and was whispering soothing words to her she could tell he cared deeply for her. And from the look on his face she knew he was waiting for her to explode. She surprised him and herself when she looked at Kid saying, "You thought it was me in bed with Jimmy," she said her voice filled with more hurt then she would have liked.

To his credit Kid had the good grace not to lie, "I thought he convinced you to…or maybe got you drunk enough to…" Kid's voice trailed off as Lou's look darkened. "Well you weren't in your room when I cam by to say goodnight…" That didn't work either.

Lou's voice was barely more then a whisper and the look on her face again held more pain then Kid had ever seen, "Do you really think that little of me?"

Kid started to speak but Lou held up her hand.

"What did I do to make you mistrust me so? What led you to think I'd sleep with Jimmy, because he's my friend?" She asked her eyes filled with tears she refused to let fall.

"It's not…" Kid didn't know how to answer her questions because it hit very close to the mark.

"Is it because I slept with you so now you think I'd sleep with someone else so easily?" Lou asked anger starting to replace the hurt in her voice and it rising a bit.

He searched his mind for another answer to her question but nothing came as close as her answer to the question had. "That and you wouldn't marry me," he said his voice still low. He looked up and saw the tears escape the hold she'd had on them. "Lou, I…I'm…"

She shook her head and turned walking out of the room. He stood there for a moment as everything that had happened replayed in his mind.

Jimmy cleared his throat and Kid turned to look at him. "As I was going to say before you came through the door…I got married earlier. Kid, I'd like you to meet my wife Abigail Hickok. We were married by the preacher a few hours ago." The young woman he held turned in his arms to look at Kid. Her look was a blameful as Lou's had been and he looked away.

Jimmy let go of her and walked around the bed saying as he did, "I'll tell you this though, and in front of Abby so there's no misunderstanding. I fancied Lou for a while. Hell, any man with eyes would but she's more like a sister to me, now. So you best be glad I still consider you a friend otherwise I'd be calling you out for insulting her like you just did." He looked over his should at Abby and then back to Kid, "But I figure Lou might just come after you herself once she gets past the hurt and gets angry."

Kid walked from the room not bothering to respond to what Jimmy had said. When he was in the hall he started to turn around and apologize to Jimmy when he heard from behind him, "Save it Kid." Then the door slammed shut drawing an angry protest from down the hall.

They'd been in the saloon for the better part of an hour when Cody said, "If we were in Rock Creek, I'd say it might be best if we found Teaspoon."

"But we aren't in Rock Creek," Buck replied seriously.

"No, we're not," Cody said grinning, "but did I tell you my mother and sisters live here since they rented the farm out?"

Buck shook his head; he was surprised Cody hadn't mentioned the fact before now.

"Right about now Ma should be putting dinner on the table and my sisters should be getting home from work," Cody said as he threw a couple of coins on the table. "C'mon I'll introduce you to them and we'll have a hot dinner ta boot," he said standing up.

Buck followed Cody to a small house just on the outskirts of town. "My sister Cee Cee teaches school," Cody said pointing to a small red building not far away. The other one works in town for the dressmaker."

Cody opened the door calling out that he was home had brought a friend with him. A female voice called back that they were in the kitchen, so Cody and Buck made their way in that direction. As they drew closer they could hear someone crying. Cody rushed to the woman's side asking, "Ma what's wrong?"

When she looked up at him and started crying harder. He knelt beside her and she turned pulling him close. Cody looked up to his sister who looked like she was about to start laughing for the answer to his question.

"She's just a bit up set because Abby got married today," his sister said with a smile as she sat the two cups of tea on the table.

"She as good as eloped," his mother sobbed.

"Oh, mother, she did not. She's known Mr. Hickok for quite some time. Why every time he comes through with…" Celia stopped speaking for a moment when she looked up and noticed how pale her brother had gone. "Cody are you alright?" she asked her brother who had stood up suddenly.

Cody looked at Buck. "I'm gonna kill him," he growled as he wrenched open the back door and rushed out.

Cody's sister shook her head at her brother's sudden departure then stood and walked over to Buck, "Celia Cody. Cee Cee to my friends," she said smiling as she held out her hand.

Buck took her hand shaking it gently thinking how small it was, "Buck Cross, I work with your brother."

"Would you care for some tea, Mr. Cross?" she asked as she took her seat and offered him the one next to her. "Mother and I would love to hear how Billy is doing. His letters can get rather boastful at times."

"That'd be nice," Buck replied as he took the seat she offeed. He couldn't help but think how pretty Cee Cee was and wondering if she had a beau.

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