The riders spurred their horses faster, putting the town they had just rushed from further behind them. The young woman turned and grinned at her partner and laughed as he steered his mount closer to hers and grabbed her around the waist, pulling her onto his horse. She turned her head to meet his lips as they came crushing against hers. They broke apart for a moment and grinned at each other, blood rushing from the excitement their departure from the saloon shortly before hand had caused. Kissing the woman soundly once more, the couple was interrupted when they heard a familiar voice cry, “Lou! Jimmy! What on earth are the two of you doing this far West?” The couple turned and looked at their old friend and former Pony Express rider turned Army scout, William F. Cody. “Well if it ain’t Cody!” Jimmy Hickok declared reaching out his hand to grasp his old friends. Lou grinned, adjusted herself better on Jimmy’s lap, which wasn’t very easy since the saddle horn was in her way, and greeted her old friend. “Hello, Cody. What brings you way out here?” she inquired just as the rumble of horses’ hoofs could be heard coming towards the trio. “Me and the Army had some business not far from here. Just finished and were heading into town. Got time to join me for a drink, catch up on what you two have been up too?” Lou jumped down from Jimmy’s horse and went to gather her horse’s reins while Jimmy offered their excuses. “Uh, I don’t think that would be a good idea right now Cody. Kinda had a bit of trouble at the saloon just a while ago. I was playing a card game when I caught someone cheating. Seems he didn’t like that to well and we was just heading out before there was trouble…” Cody just shook his head. ‘When didn’t Jimmy find some kind of trouble wherever he went?’ he thought, turning to Lou as she started speaking to him. “Man didn’t like the fact that he was caught and lost all the money to Jimmy. Tried saying that Jimmy was the one cheating but the others didn’t believe him. Nice seeing you again Cody,” she mounted her horse and turned to see if Jimmy was ready to get going just as the Army reached the trio. The friends called out goodbyes and “ride safe” as they went their separate ways. *~*~*~*~* As the Army neared the town, two men came riding towards them and pulled up short when they reached the blond rider at the front of the line. “Have you seen a man and woman riding out this way?” the dandified on inquired, shifting in his saddle. “They were cheating at cards and took off with my money.” “Can you describe them?” Cody asked, not saying that he already knew the whole story or that they had come across the couple the men were looking for. “Man was wearing a black hat, long brown hair. Had on a pair of matching pearl handled Navy Colts. Woman had on a riding skirt and jacket. Reddish brown hair, pinned up.” “You trying to tell me that Wild Bill Hickok was cheating at cards?” disbelief in his voice. Cody enjoyed the way the man’s face fell and turned pale at the mention of his friend’s legendary gunfighter’s moniker. “Why, Wild Bill would never cheat at cards. He hates cheaters. Tends to shoot them dead when he catches anyone cheating. You must be wrong if you’re saying he was cheating, Mister.” Cody started his horse moving forward, turning to look back over his shoulder, “Oh, by the way, they didn’t pass this way.” The man stuttered, not sure what to say. He had not known the man he was trying to cheat at cards was Wild Bill. His face a pasty white still, he turned to his man and told him they were returning to town. As they fell in behind the long column of soldiers, he counted his blessings that he had not been shot after what the blond man told him. *~*~*~*~* The excitement of their hasty departure still had a grip on the couple as they headed south. Finally, they pulled up their horses, which were spent from running and dismounted. Lou walked over to Jimmy and threw her arms around his neck. “I just love that feeling when we have to hurry like that. Makes life seem a little bit dangerous!” Jimmy laughed as he kissed the tip of her nose. “Makes you frisky, don’t it, sweetheart?” Lou brought his head down towards hers in answer. Soon, he felt her hand reach into his waistband. Lifting his head, he smiled devilishly and asked smugly, “And what do you think your doing?” Looking up at him with merriment in her eyes she replied, “Apparently not enough!” She was always surprising him. Jimmy never could be sure what Lou would do or say next and she had just rendered him speechless once again. With a growl, he pulled her along with him to the ground and showed her just what effect she did have on him. *~*~*~*~* Much later, after they had decided to bed down for the night where they had stopped, Jimmy sat thinking about Lou. They’d been together almost a year now. They just roamed from town to town, wherever their fancy took them. He’d been surprised when Lou came to him shortly after the Pony Express ended and told him that she wanted to leave with him. Cody had already left with the Army as a scout. Kid had returned to Virginia to fight in the war. Noah and Ike were both dead. Buck had taken a job as Teaspoon’s deputy in Rock Creek, a job that was offered to him also, but he declined. He didn’t think anyone was surprised when Lou said she was leaving with him. There had always been something between them, but with Kid in the picture before, neither ever acted on it. Even after they’d left Rock Creek, it was weeks before either made a move to take their friendship to the next level. For the last month, Jimmy had wanted to ask Lou to marry him, but he was afraid that she might not feel quite that way about him. Sure, they enjoyed being together and no one knew him like Lou did. He didn’t have to say anything for her to know what he was thinking or what was bothering him. It was old fears that kept him from finally asking her to be his forever, those old feelings of worthlessness. He shook his head as if to rid his mind of such thoughts. He knew that he was being silly. Lou had told him that just wasn’t so often enough when they’d talked, but he had had that sense of worthlessness drummed into his head by so many people in the past, it was hard to overcome such feelings. A sad smile passed over his face, as he looked down at the sleeping form of his best friend and lover when she turned in her sleep and reached out to him. ‘Funny,’ he thought ‘how she always reaches out like that to hold my hand, just when I need her touch the most…’ Making sure his gun was where he could reach it in a hurry if need be, Jimmy laid down next to Lou and brought her closer to him and kissed the top of her head while she slept. As he drifted off, thoughts of what he had, more like what he didn’t have to offer her for a future swirled around his thoughts making for a fitful slumber. *~*~*~*~* Next morning, Jimmy awoke in a foul mood. He had a kink in his neck that caused him a headache on top of the one he had from not getting enough sleep. Then there was Lou, bright eyed and humming which didn’t help his mood. He knew he shouldn’t take his foul mood out on her and tried not too. “Jimmy, I don’t know what’s put that black look on your handsome face but I sure hope it isn’t me!” Lou offered, handing him a cup of strong coffee. “It ain’t you Lou,” he sighed setting the cup down on the ground next to him. Reaching up he grabbed her wrist and pulled her down next to him. “It’s just….I mean….where are we going Lou?” he asked her, needing to know if she wanted more than just roaming from place to place with him. Looking confused she asked, “I thought we were heading to Denver. Isn’t that what we decided the other day? Is there somewhere else you want to go instead?” “No, no, no,” Jimmy cried shaking his head. “That’s not what I meant. I want to know where you and I are going?” Pulling her hand from his, Lou got a sad look in her eyes, “Aren’t you happy with the way we been living Jimmy? I thought we were both happy. I must have been wrong.” Jimmy sat a moment trying to figure out how to say what he felt, when he noticed that Lou had started to cry. Reaching up a hand to wipe away her tears, he murmured, “Oh, Lou, honey. It ain’t that. I just want to know what you feel about us, if there’s more to our future than rolling from town to town and never settling down. You never complain, but I want to know if you want more, if you want a house, kids, all of that…” When she looked up at him, he eyes softened and he kissed her gently and added, “’Cause I want that. I want all of that with you…” He noticed that as he held her in his arms that he was no longer in a bad mood and his headache wasn’t near so bad. Being with her always made him feel better. Lou pulled away, a wary look in her eyes as she searched his face. Standing, she started to pace in front of him. They’d been together for so long now that she was use to being in a new place every couple of days or weeks. Could she handle being in one place all the time? More importantly, could he? He was confusing her and she wasn’t sure how she felt.. Jimmy stood up and grabbed her arms. “Marry me Lou…” he whispered, unsure of himself. “Marry me.” When she didn’t answer, he dropped his hands from her arms and turned away. She reached out and stopped him. He turned towards her, grief written all over his face. “Why now Jimmy? What’s changed that you are asking me now?” “Over the last month, I’ve wanted to ask you at least a dozen times a day to marry me, but I was afraid too…” A smile played at the corners of her mouth and tears welled up in her eyes as she stepped into his arms. Tucking her head onto his shoulder she cried, “Oh, Jimmy! Why didn’t you ever say anything? I never knew…I’ve wanted that for a long time but didn’t think you did. Because of that, I decided to just follow you to the ends of the earth if that was all I could have,” she looked up into his soulful brown eyes and whispered, “I love you James Butler Hickok.” As all of the anxiety and doubts washed away at her words, he gathered her up in his arms and plundered her mouth, putting all his love into that one kiss. Lifting his head he breathed, “Say you’ll marry me…” “The sooner, the better,” Lou told him, her heart filled with joy. Email Lisa L. HOME