Courting
Lou
by Charla, aka Saddlefan
For Emma, the day started out so incredibly routine that her body was just going through the motions, her mind elsewhere. She was up early as usual, providing breakfast for the boys as usual and soon after began her usual cleaning. Emma hummed softly to herself as she worked, straightening the bunkhouse and checking the linens.
Suddenly, things got interesting and Emma's mind perked up a bit. Peeking out from underneath Lou's mattress was something unexpected, though not surprising. Further investigation proved she was correct; it was lace. For a moment, Emma stood, leaning against the bunk, fingering the feminine fabric; the dress was such a womanly item. At first, the engaging bit of lace served to engross Emma away from her mundane routine, but quickly, in Emma's mind, it became a symbol of Lou's sadness. Emma hurt for the young woman, so desperately trying to hide her gender at a time when she most needed to explore her womanhood.
'Lou is a very intelligent young lady', reasoned Emma. 'Her even buying this is almost like a cry for help.' So despite her decision to leave the child be, Emma decided it was time to confront her. Lou needed a woman to talk to and Emma resolved to listen.
A little later Emma walked out on her front porch, looking for the opportunity to speak with Lou alone. Luckily, she caught Lou heading for the barn.
"You wanted to see me Emma?" asked Lou, cautiously.
"Why yes," drawled Emma. "Why don't you take off those glasses? You are so attractive." Emma enjoyed Lou's discomfort as she sought the best way to approach the subject. Emma moved toward a large trunk under a nearby window.
"Now Emma," Lou began in a firm voice, but she was interrupted.
"What I wanted to talk about was this," Emma announced, holding up the dress. "I found it peeking out from under your bunk today and it near broke my heart."
Lou reached up to wipe under her eye, trying to cover up just how upset she was. "When did you know?"
"Why, I've known all along Lulabelle," smiled Emma, "but I figured you had as much right to make a living as the other boys."
"And Teaspoon?" questioned Lou, who was beginning to relax.
"What Teaspoon don't know won't hurt him," laughed Emma.
Lou joined in the laughter and a bond was made. Emma reached to give Lou a hug; it was the first mothering Lou had experienced in a long time.
Emma arranged a "coming out" party for the daring young woman. How she had survived in that bunkhouse full of boys, Emma didn't even want to consider. Emma was sure that some if not all the other riders knew of Lou's gender, but she wondered if they had ever really seen her as a woman. 'Silly boys', Emma thought, 'they probably think of Lou as a little sister -- well, it's high time they see her differently.'
Emma gathered Buck, Ike, Kid, Cody and Jimmy around her parlor table. This being a special occasion, tea was served as well.
"What are we here for Emma?" asked one of the boys.
"You'll see," smiled Emma, "I have a surprise for you. Come on out Louise."
'Louise?' Ten pairs of eyes widened; this could get interesting.
Lou's voice from above the stairs rang out; "The first one of you that laughs is getting punched."
"Lulabelle," chastised Emma.
The boys laughed, but it was a tense sound. They weren't sure what or who to
expect.
Lou slowly descended the stairs. Her hair was a bit mussed, but she looked every inch the lady in her new dress. She was at once shy and proud; the combination was intriguing.
Emma watched the rider's reaction with great amusement. This was indeed better than she even expected. Each of the boys looked like they had been hit between the eyes. Some even looked as if they were hit beneath the belt.
Bucks' reaction was instantaneous, and Emma couldn't recall ever seeing him with that look on his face. Buck was definitely not seeing Lou as a little sister anymore.
Emma heard Jimmy suck in his breath as he caught sight of Lou in a dress. His knuckles whitened as he clutched the hat in his hands.
Ike was looking around at the other riders, amazement clearly on his face, but his gaze kept returning to Lou.
A comment was heard, "Kid, you better watch out." Kid looked sheepish, but proud of this woman he had protected.
Cody let out a long whistle, "Kid who?"
The group chuckled, but Kid looked worried. He no longer had Lou to himself. The other riders may have known she was a girl, but they now saw her as a woman.
Lou looked pleased with the attention. Emma smiled, "she deserves a little recognition for her feminine charms." Unfortunately Emma had no idea the amount of 'appreciation' that Lou was about to receive.
Things turned odd by nightfall. Lou was in the barn, Teaspoon was late, and all of the other riders were in the bunkhouse. Emma had supper ready, but the boys weren't hastening to take their seats as usual.
"Boys, you planning to eat tonight?" asked Emma, puzzled.
"Oh, yes ma'am," replied Jimmy, "but we aren't all here yet."
"Well, no need to wait on Mr. Spoon," explained Emma, "there's no telling when he'll be in this evening."
Ike moved his hands and Buck translated. "We're waiting for Lou."
Emma just stood there a moment, watching the five boys fidget around the table. "Are you telling me you ain't sitting down to supper, 'cause you are all waiting on Lou?"
"Well, yes ma'am," smiled Kid. "That wouldn't be very gentlemanly of us."
Emma looked at Cody as he stood near the door, his hands under his shoulders, rocking on his heels. "You waiting too Cody?"
"Well, of course," the blonde rider replied.
'Oh dear,' mused Emma. 'Things are serious.' She bit back a grin. "Well, one of you boys best run and fetch her then, before your meal is too cold to eat."
All five of them immediately started toward the door and the shoving began. Buck shot in front of Ike, so Ike pushed him to the side. Jimmy and Kid were already shoulder to shoulder, trapped in the doorway. Cody began looking for a window to crawl out.
"Boys," called Emma loudly, "come sit at this table right now. I'll go get her myself."
Sullen, the each trudged back to the table, unwilling to take a seat.
"I said sit," Emma repeated from the doorway, "now."
They sat, glaring at each other. As soon as Emma was out of earshot the bickering began.
"I can't believe you pushed me Ike," accused Buck.
'Like you didn't cut in front of me,' signed Ike, clearly irritated.
"Oh, so you're blaming me?" replied Buck.
"Hey, I don't know what's got into the rest of you," Kid interjected, "but Lou and I have been close for a while."
Jimmy put up his hand, stopping the flow of words. "Kid, is there any kind of understanding between you and Lou?'
"Well, no, but..,"
"That's all I need to know," Jimmy smiled in reply.
Cody shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know what all this fuss is about anyway."
Lou and Emma moved into the doorway. Cody was the first to his feet, contradicting his words. The other riders all glared at each other as they stood as well, but they smiled at Lou.
Lou looked at Emma and grinned, unbelieving. Emma returned her smile and shrugged her shoulders.
Each one of the boys seemed to indicate a vacant space open beside them and Lou was unsure where to sit. She finally sat between Kid and Jimmy, her usual spot at the table.
"Am I the only one hungry?" she joked as she reached for a bowl. The boys just all grinned at her; they looked downright silly. Back in pants, Lou couldn't see what the fuss was about, but this was certainly entertaining.
She set the bowl back on the table to find Ike and Buck both handing her another one. "Why, thank you boys."
"You're welcome," Buck said, beaming. Ike began signing furiously.
"What's he saying?" questioned Lou.
"Aww, nothing amounting to much," answered Buck.
He then returned a few signs to Ike, 'Oh, so you going to blame me for talking to her when you can't?'
Ike's hands and fingers moved in a response that needed no translation. It's meaning was clear. "Ike!" Emma chided.
Buck looked at his friend defiantly, "Right back at you Ike."
Lou cleared her throat uncomfortably. "Can we just eat?"
"Great idea," smiled Kid. Cody seconded the motion.
Half-way through dinner, Lou looked up to feel Cody's eyes on her. He was studying her, as if torn in some decision.
"What is it?" she asked, worried.
"Well," replied Cody, "I was just noticing the biscuits are all gone and you don't have one - would you like mine?"
"Ah hell," breathed Jimmy, "this is going to get ugly."
Teaspoon Hunter arrived back in Sweetwater the next day. He knocked at Emma's door, relieved to be back at the station.
"Why Mr. Spoon," welcomed Emma.
Over tea, Teaspoon inquired to the running of the place in his absence.
"Oh, things are just fine," smirked Emma. "The boys are just being their competitive selves."
"Now I ask you, won't they ever learn there is more to life than just shooting off your gun?"
Teaspoon was unable to explain the blush that crept over Emma's cheeks. "Emma," he asked, "is something the matter?"
"Oh no, Mr. Spoon, I just swallowed wrong; everything is just fine."
Teaspoon left Emma sitting at the kitchen table, smiling into her cup of tea. Something was downright bizarre around the station.
He saw Lou coming around the barn and smiled. 'At last, someone who might make some sense,' he thought, 'Lou might be puny, but he was reasonable.'
Teaspoon soon noticed Cody, Buck and Jimmy trailing behind the smallest rider.
"Boys," Teaspoon called.
"Damn," Cody muttered. "This will make things even more difficult."
"Like you aren't making things difficult enough," Buck hissed back.
"You boys are about to drive me crazy," snapped Lou. "Maybe, with Teaspoon here, you'll leave me alone for a while."
Jimmy grinned, "Not a chance Lou."
By this time, they had reached Teaspoon who was watching them curiously. "Is there some sort of disagreement in the bunkhouse?" he questioned.
"Not at all," assured Cody.
"Yeah, I'd say we are all in complete agreement right now," said Buck, with a smirk.
Jimmy put his hand on Lou's shoulder, in a brotherly manner. Cody and Buck knew better and they moved closer to her. She was surrounded by the three men.
Teaspoon squinted at Lou, trying to assess the situation. "You sick or something?"
"No, I feel fine," answered Lou, calmly.
"Well now, I know you boys think of Lou as a little brother, him being so much smaller than you, but you don't have to treat him like a child. I've seen him ride and shoot with the best of you, maybe better."
Lou grinned, pushing Jimmy's hand off her shoulder. "Yeah boys, quit thinking of me as a 'little brother.'" With that, Lou walked away with a skip, giggling under her breath.
Lou entered the bunkhouse and breathed a sigh of relief to find it empty. 'No suitors,' she thought wryly. This had only been going on a day and she was exhausted from all the attention.
She moved to crawl on her bunk. I'll just close my eyes a minute, she decided when she spotted the folded piece of paper. She sat, legs hanging over the side and slowly opened the note. Lou began to read:
Lou found herself giggling. She leaned back on her bunk, holding the poem in front of her, trying to figure out which of the riders wrote it. By now, she knew they were all interested in her. This might be fun after all.
Ike, who had watched her enter the bunkhouse, stood on the porch. He wavered between approaching her directly and admiring her from a distance. Now that all of them wanted Lou as their woman, Ike didn't feel he had much of a chance. He had spent the morning drawing her and he adored the face he had only just come to see in its full beauty.
He finally pushed open the door to find Lou resting on her bunk. Quietly, he closed the door behind him, sat on his bunk and watched her sleep.
Lou awoke with a start and looked around. The bunkhouse was still empty. Usually one of the boys would have fussed at her for not doing her share of the work, but today, they were tripping over themselves to take care of things for her.
Kid, before leaving for his run this morning, had pulled her into a stall. For a long moment, he had just gazed into her eyes, his blue ones searching her brown orbs.
"Lou," he began, "I don't know how to say this exactly."
"Just say it then Kid," Lou urged.
"I know the two of us, well…," Kid's words faltered. "What I'm trying to say is…," again he stumbled.
Lou continued to stare at him.
Taking a deep breath, he sighed, "What I'm trying to say is this!"
Kid wrapped his arms around her, pulling her to his chest softly and slowly.
He lowered his head, his mouth seeking hers for a deep kiss. Lou was shocked
- he had never kissed her like this before. When he eventually pulled away,
Lou's lips were swollen. She licked them, savoring his taste.
"Lou, I just hope you remember this talk while I'm gone."
As Lou sat up in her bunk, fondly remembering that 'conversation,' a new piece of paper slid over her stomach. She grabbed it before it could drift to the floor.
Lou brought her knuckles to her mouth with a soft cry as she saw a drawing of herself. She was both flattered and stunned at the amazing portrait; she knew that Ike had done this for her and it touched her deeply.
Sighing, she hopped off the bunk and headed outside.
Buck was leaning over the corral fence so Lou walked over to join him. Crawling up beside him, she smiled over her shoulder.
Buck's throat swallowed convulsively as he looked at her. "Lou," he breathed.
"So what's been going on?" asked Lou, conversationally.
"Well, we've been trying to give you some space this afternoon," Buck explained.
Lou stared at the horses, unseeing. "Buck, tell me what this is really about. This has become some sort of 'pissing contest,' and I don't like being the prize."
"Lou, I promise that it's more than that," Buck said huskily. He lightly placed a hand on her lower back, "This isn't a game."
Lou took a deep breath, startled by the reserved Indian's touch.
"Come here," he smiled, jumping down from the fence and reaching for her hand.
Tentatively, the young woman took his hand and he pulled her away from the station, into the land. This land was of the Kiowa people, Buck's people.
"What is it Buck?" Lou finally asked, after they had walked awhile in silence.
"Lou, just enjoy the walk. I ask nothing of you but your company."
She looked at him strangely, sideways. He still held her hand, but his touch was light and she didn't feel threatened. Stopping a moment, Buck reached down to scoop up a couple of wildflowers. Smiling, he looked down at the woman he had been blind to before. "For you," he offered, placing the flowers behind her ear.
Giggling, Lou reached down to pick a few flowers of her own and put one behind Buck's ear too.
"That's not some special Indian ceremony is it?" she joked.
Buck just grinned. "Not unless you want it to be."
Laughing, Lou took off running. She felt freer than she had in a long time. Even though she was wearing short hair and pants, she felt like a woman.
At dinner that night, Lou found herself sitting next to Cody. Normally, that was a dangerous position, especially if you reached for more food at the same time. Tonight though, Cody was the epitome of charm. Instead of reaching for a second helping, he asked Lou if she would like some more and even moved to serve her plate.
Lou was speechless and all the other boys looked on irritated. They ate in silence for a moment.
Teaspoon watched, perplexed. "Emma, something right peculiar is going on here."
"Why do you say that Mr. Spoon?"
"I can just tell," he replied. The group quickly looked down at their plates.
Lou sat with a hand in her lap and jumped, startled, when she felt a hand move over hers. She looked at Buck on one side, who was eating his meal and then glanced at Cody on her other side. Cody grinned slyly as Lou felt pressure on her hand again.
Lou's eyebrows shot up and she jerked her hand away. Cody looked sheepish and cleared his throat. Leaning over, he whispered, "Did you get my note Lou?"
Lou made a noise that was like a giggle and covered her face with the palm of her hand. She then looked back at Cody. "You wrote the poem?" she asked quietly.
The other riders leaned in to hear their conversation, but couldn't make out the mumblings.
"Yes Lou, I did, and I sure mean it. You're the prettiest woman I've ever seen."
"Why Cody, I don't know what to say."
Teaspoon cleared his throat loudly. "Boy's, is there something you two want to share with the rest of us?"
"Oh no Teaspoon. Lou and I were just talking," Cody explained.
"Well right now, why don't you boys concentrate on eating." suggested Teaspoon.
Cody's grin filled his face. Picking up a bowl of potatoes, he offered some to Lou. "Want some more?"
Lou just shook her head, trying not to laugh.
Teaspoon stood up quickly. "I'm telling you Emma, something right peculiar is going on around here."
The group at the table just smiled and continued eating their meal as Teaspoon left the bunkhouse.
Lou was unable to sleep. She kept replaying the day's events in her mind. Thinking of Kid's kiss that morning, she quietly climbed down from her bunk. She slipped on a shirt over her long johns and moved to sit on the front porch, staring into the night.
So lost in her thoughts, she didn't hear the door open behind her. Jimmy moved to sit down beside her.
"Hey there Lou," he smiled.
"Hey yourself Jimmy," Lou smiled back.
"Nice night ain't it?"
"If you like it pitch black," Lou teased.
"Can't sleep?"
"Not really. Today was the strangest day of my life," Lou remarked, honestly.
Jimmy leaned back, his body nearly touching hers, and sighed. "I guess we all came on a little strong didn't we?"
Lou rubbed the side of her face. "It's not that I'm not flattered…" Lou began.
Jimmy interrupted her by reaching to touch her chin. "I'll have a talk with the boys, Lou. Ain't no cause in us botherin' you so much you can't even sleep at night."
Deep brown eyes turned on Jimmy's. "You know, I care about all of you."
"I know you do Lou. We care about you too. We did even before we started seeing you as…," Jimmy's explanation faltered.
Lou giggled and then took a deep breath. "Maybe I'm just good courting practice for you boys."
Jimmy cupped her cheek. "Never just practice," he assured her. "I would say every one of us would like to be your suitor."
"That's sure going to make things real hard around here, on me and everyone else," Lou supplied.
"I can see that already, and I'll put a stop to it."
"Thank you Jimmy. I mean that," Lou said gratefully. She stood, wrapping her shirt tightly around her against the damp, night air. She tousled Jimmy's hair as she reached the door.
"Lou," Jimmy's voice made her pause.
"Yes Jimmy?"
"I didn't say I've given up. I'm only going to be more sly," he admitted. "I'll still be courting you, Lou."
Lou bit her top lip, suppressing a smile. She didn't answer; she didn't need to. Instead, she walked inside, crawled on her bunk and slept peacefully the rest of the night.
THE
END