DIFFERENT WORLDS

by

C.C.

Standard disclaimer

~CHAPTER 6~

A few weeks later.....

The riding lessons had gone well. Louise would show up dressed in a skirt and transform to Lou before the lessons. She and Kid talked and laughed. He always made it a point to address her as Louise when she was in a skirt, but preferred to call her ‘Lou’ when dressed in her riding clothes. He personally preferred her riding clothes. He had been extremely impressed at her quick learning and her natural ability. Of course, Katy was a pretty instrumental in his success.

Kid decided that today she was ready for some open prairie riding, she had been mostly in the corral and he knew she had enough skill now to handle more.

“You sure I’m ready?” Lou asked nervously, not so sure of herself.

“Yep, Lou.... you’re a natural!” he grinned at her.

She had to once again scold herself internally for the feelings that stirred within her when he smiled.

They rode the open prairie, after the initial nervousness passed Lou felt such joy, she couldn’t hardly believe the feelings this independence gave her. She hadn’t felt this free and unburdened in years, in fact she wasn’t sure she’d ever felt this way.

Kid could see from the look on her face that she had discovered some feelings that she didn’t realize she had. He could see the happiness shine through.

He realized at that point that his feelings for her where deep, and he knew he was in trouble because it was useless, she was to marry Stephen in a few weeks.

He wondered what that meant, how that would change their relationship. They had become very good friends since she began her lessons. During their times together he found himself confiding in her, telling her about his childhood, his father’s abuse and his mother’s death. She too had told him about her life growing up. Oh she was sure people would envy her, being a little rich girl, but she never was very
happy, never really enjoyed being forced to act certain ways, always forced into being something that deep down she wasn’t.

Her mother too had died when she was young. Though her father provided for her every need and more, he was not a comfort to her. She grew up in a very cold home, never showing or receiving much emotional support.

Stephen’s father and her father were business partners. She had practically grown up with him, he was only a few years older than she. Even though the marriage wasn’t what one would deem an official arranged marriage, it had been assumed for a long time that she and Stephen would marry.

She didn’t however, tell Kid that she really didn’t want to marry Stephen. She hadn’t quite dealt with her own feelings yet.

Before they came out west, she’d accepted his proposal, realizing that this was what was expected. Her father had been instrumental in the arrangement, convincing her that this family was the kind of family she should be a part of, she needed to marry within her class.

Lou told Kid that her father had gotten ill and died rather suddenly and she was left completely alone and terrified. The Richardson’s immediately took her in and for that comfort she was grateful.

Before she realized it half of the afternoon had passed. She had enjoyed the day immensely but had to get back to town, not wanting Stephen to become suspicious or begin asking questions. So far he hadn’t noticed her absence on the days she took lessons, she wanted to keep it that way.

“Oh Kid, I’ve got to get back, I’ve rally enjoyed today... thank you” she looked at him gratefully.

He knew he could easily get lost in her and had to glance away from her eyes, eyes which stirred emotions in him, emotions that frightened him.

Almost relieved he turned Rebel and headed back to the station, Lou and Katy close behind.

He needed some time alone, he thought.... I’ve got to straighten myself out!

Lou transformed into Louise as she did after every lesson and after telling Rachel goodbye went to seek Kid, to find out when they would ride again. But she couldn’t find him and she was already running late so she headed back into town, confused by Kid’s disappearance.

She was quite that evening at dinner and politely excused herself right after the meal, saying she wasn’t feeling well. Stephen agreed that she looked flushed (no doubt from the sun she’d been in all day on the prairie) but he though it was from her illness.

She went to her room for the night and found herself crying. Not a heart-wrenching sobbing kind of crying, just a few tears trickling down her cheek and a feeling of sorrow wrapping around her heart. She realized after spending the day with Kid riding and experiencing the total freedom to be herself that she had today, she would never be able to be truly happy. The thought of marrying Stephen sickened her.

She dealt with the knowledge of not loving him when they lived in Boston, but she had accepted it, realizing that the marriages she had seen, her parents, Stephen’s parents, many of the people her father associated with were based on everything other than love. Marrying your equal in class and stature much more important than loving. But since she had gotten out here, people were so different. Where you came from and how much money you or your family had didn’t mean much. She just couldn’t deal with marrying Stephen now. She wished she had someone she could talk to. She knew that she and Kid had talked about a lot of things, sometimes surprised by what each other had revealed, things she wasn’t sure she would have told a close girlfriend and she knew Kid had told her things he had never told
anyone else.

But she realized this problem was not one she could take to him. She wasn’t sure how he felt about her, but she knew that if she wasn’t careful she could find herself in love with him, and she couldn’t let that happen!

Kid had headed out to his thinking tree as soon as Lou had gone into Rachel’s to change. He didn’t like the feelings that had slowly but steadily crept into his being today.

He was becoming obsessed with her again, but worse this time. He didn’t like the feelings of helplessness and hopelessness he felt.

When he thought of her and how beautiful she looked riding today, the pure joy that was evident on her face he felt as light as a feather, but almost as quickly that feeling was replaced by the feeling of dread. She was engaged and would marry Stephen soon and he would feel all of the weight of that crushing him.

He was angry, angry at himself for feeling this way, angry with her for not being the highfaluting snob he had originally thought she was, angry with Stephen for her belonging to him.

He didn’t deserve her, he never shoed her respect, he treated her like she was less that him most of the time.

If she was mine, he thought, I’d bring her flower’s everyday, I’d shower her with love, she’d know she meant everything to me.... he sighed she’d know that she way my world.

He had to again yell at himself, dammit Kid “Stop it, she’s not yours and never will be!” he stated out loud. I gotta figure a way out of this, his mind searching for an easy answer to his pain.

He decided he’d ask Hannah Moore to the upcoming church dance, she was cute and before he and Lou had started lessons, he thought about courting her, he’d try to see if that might be the key to freeing him of his infatuation with Louise McCloud.