ONCE IN A LIFETIME LOVE

by Debbie © 2004

It was a pleasant evening, a slight breeze in the air. Lou wasn't even aware she was rocking Rachel's front porch swing, she was so lost in her thoughts. Doritha's funeral was today and it was hard on everyone because they all knew how affected Kid was by her death. Lou remembered feeling guilty because she didn't like Doritha's closeness to the Kid and now she was gone. Kid had seemed so miserable after the funeral that Lou couldn't help but seek him out and make sure he was alright. She grinned slightly, recalling how happy he had looked when she told him he wasn't alone, that she'd always be there for him. They had quietly spent the rest of the afternoon together and even walked back to the way station holding hands.

Rachel stood just inside the doorway watching as Lou suddenly caught sight of Kid leaving the barn, where he had disappeared to immediately after dinner, and not take her eyes off him until he had entered the bunkhouse.

"He'll be fine."

Startled by Rachel's voice, Lou turned to look at her. "What?"

As Rachel handed Lou a cup of coffee and sat next to her, taking a sip of her own, she said, "The Kid. He'll be fine. He just needs some time."

"I know. I just never seen him that sad before. I didn't like seeing him that way." Every time she talked about him, she kept looking in the direction of the bunkhouse.

"You did a good thing being there for him after the funeral, Louise, when he needed comforting. It really meant a lot to him."

Lou looked at her. "How did you know...?"

"He told me."

Lou got a soft look to her eyes. "He did?"

Rachel smiled at her then went on to explain, "It was just after the two of you got back from the pond. You went into the bunkhouse to change and I was on my way to the house to start supper when I saw Kid with the horses and I wanted to see how he was doing. He told me everything was going to be alright and he had you to thank for it. He said he didn't know what he'd do if he didn't have you in his life."

Lou grinned thinking of the words she had told the Kid.

Rachel had heard the love in Kid's voice when he had spoken of Lou and knew she had to help this couple along. "He still loves you, you know, and from the way you look at him, I'd say the feeling is mutual." Rachel knew she was taking a big chance putting the idea out in the open so she watched Lou closely for her reaction.

Lou looked at her and confessed, "Why is it that sometimes I just ain't sure what my feelings are?"

Rachel touched her hand and softly said, "Honey, there's nothing wrong with feeling that way. Being in love can be the most confusing and wonderful thing a person goes through. When you start putting the other person's feelings and concerns above your own then you know it's the real thing." Rachel paused and looked off into the distance, suddenly not talking about Kid and Lou anymore. "We all know the way love should be but sometimes you just don't think it'll ever happen to you. Then all of a sudden you meet someone and you feel things you've never felt before. You either know right away that it's love or it may take a while but once you realize it is love, you feel like the luckiest person in the world. Once you realize you've found the person you want to spend the rest of your life with, you should do everything in your power to make it happen. It's worth taking a chance on it because anything could happen at anytime to take it away from you." Rachel just sat there with tears in her eyes.

Lou sat there, taking in every word Rachel said. She knew Rachel had been talking about her husband but inadvertently, everything she said exactly described the way Lou was feeling.

She looked off toward the bunkhouse. "A once in a lifetime love," Lou whispered.

Lou's voice broke Rachel out of the trance she was in. "A what?"

Lou got up, setting her cup on the porch. She leaned against the porch railing, recalling a conversation from a couple days ago. "Something Doritha said to me the one time we talked. She said there was a time she'd have given anything to have the Kid for her own and did I have any idea how lucky he was having me for a friend." She suddenly turned around to face Rachel as more and more of the pieces started falling into place. "She got it wrong, Rachel. I'm the lucky one! He didn't choose her: he could have brought her with him but he didn't and he didn't send for her like he said he would. I was given the chance to get to know him, to feel what I feel towards him. It was right before my eyes the whole time only I didn't realize that's what it was! Thank you, Rachel." She quickly gave Rachel a hug then started down the steps.

"What are you going to do?"

Lou gave a little blush. "Something I should have done a long time ago."

The bunkhouse was noisy as usual. Buck, Cody and Noah were involved in a poker game at one end of the table while Jimmy sat cleaning his guns on the other end. Kid was leaning against the back of his bunk, grateful for the company of the others but not ready to join in their playful banter.

All eyes turned as the bunkhouse door opened.

"Hey, Lou."

"Wanna join us?"

Lou wasn't even aware of who was talking to her, her eyes immediately finding the pair of blue eyes she was looking for. "No thanks, I need to talk to Kid."

Kid stood up, curiously watching the beautiful woman in front of him. "Lou?"

"Kid," Lou sighed then quickly walked up to him, put her arms around his neck and kissed him.

He looked at her in shock then when she didn't give any indication of backing away, he pulled her into his arms and continued where she left off. Suddenly all else was lost to them as they gave in to feelings they'd been hiding from for so long.

The boys gave each other shocked then amused looks.

Suddenly, Lou pulled away from the kiss, breathless. She then turned and ran out of the bunkhouse.

Kid stood staring after her, trying to catch his breath, his hands finally resting on his hips.

The others all stared after Lou. Noah finally broke the silence with a whistle. "I wouldn't mind having a woman come talk to me that way."

Kid couldn't take his eyes off the door. "What just happened?"

Cody couldn't stay quiet any longer. "If I didn't know any better, Kid, I'd say she's gonna be expecting another proposal somewhere down the road."

Buck was amused by Kid's shocked face. "What are you waiting for, Kid? You know she wants you to follow her."

Kid looked at Buck as his words sank in, gave him a small smile then started toward the door.

"We won't expect you two back anytime soon." Kid stopped to look at Jimmy, who just gave him a grin, causing Kid to blush. This made the others start to laugh.

As he stepped onto the porch, he heard Cody call out, "Have fun! I know I would. Ouch!!" Kid grinned as he realized someone deservingly punched Cody for his comments.

The full moon created a very romantic atmosphere, Lou thought, as she leaned on the corral fence watching the few horses inside the corral. She heard the footsteps behind her and knew without turning around who was behind her.

Kid looked at Lou, silhouetted against the moon, he never thought he'd seen anything more beautiful. I could spend the rest of my life looking at her and not get enough, Kid thought. He reached the corral and leaned on the top rail next to her.

Lou looked sideways at him with a sparkle in her eyes. "I hope I didn't embarrass you too much."

Kid blushed. "Not at all. You sure took me by surprise, though!" He started to laugh which made Lou giggle as well.

"Yeah, I guess I did at that. I reckon the boys will be teasing us about that for a while."

"Let them." Lou looked at him curiously. Except for when he drove her crazy with worry, Kid wasn't one for public displays of affection, sure that they would draw teasing from the others. "I mean it." He took her hand and moved until there was only a couple inches between them. This time nothing was going to stop him from expressing his true feelings. "I love you, Louise. You've held my heart from day one. It was always perfectly clear to me that there would never be anyone else for me." Kid stroked her cheek with his free hand. "I've wanted to touch you again for so long."

Lou put her arms around him, resting her head against his chest. "I love you so much, Kid. I don't know why it took me so long to figure out what I felt inside me the whole time. I guess it was just being afraid I was going to lose you for good that brought it out into the open."

Kid pulled away at that comment and asked, "What are you talking about, Lou?"

Lou looked in those blue eyes that always gave her comfort and decided to just tell him everything that had been going through her mind during the past week. "Doritha." When Kid gave her a puzzled look, she admitted, "I was kind of jealous of her." There, she thought, I said it! She then went on to explain, "It's just that Virginia has such a hold on you and when Rachel told me the two of you grew up together there, I ... I got nervous. She was someone from your past - a past I know very little about. She got to see you grow up and I could only imagine what you must have meant to each other. I was afraid once you found that connection again that what we had wouldn't seem important." She sighed and looked away.

"Lou," Kid sighed. He turned her head so she was looking at him then he kissed her forehead. "Lou, come here," he said, taking her hand. "I want to explain something to you."

"Alright," Lou said nervously, afraid to hear what he had to say but also knowing that she needed to hear it.

Kid led her to the barn for more privacy. Once inside, he sat on a hay bale and pulled her onto his lap. He wrapped his arms around her, never wanting to let go again. "Lou, when I saw Doritha, it all came back to me, the feelings and memories, and believe me, not all of them were pleasant. There were a lot of things I tried to forget about, that I buried deep inside of me, but they all came back when she did. I mean, we'd known each other since we were kids and there were some bad times I don't think I could have gotten through if it weren't for her." He paused, trying so hard to keep those thoughts in the back of his mind.

He saw Lou look at him with nothing but love and support and decided that one of these days he would tell her some of what his childhood was like - he wanted her to know now. Kid brushed a strand of hair behind her ear and went on, "Lou, she meant a lot to me when we were growing up but seeing her after all these years, I realized it couldn't have worked, that we were never meant to be. The feelings I felt for Doritha were what a boy feels for a girl: new and exciting but also scary. I was hurting so much back then and she was always there for me but I realize now that what I thought was love was actually just gratitude. I know now that's why I couldn't send for her- deep inside I was still sorting out my feelings for her."

Lou looked at him and ran her hand through his hair. She didn't speak, sensing that he wasn't through.

Kid looked at her with a sparkle in his eyes and continued, "Then I met you and I knew I've never felt anything like this before in my life. The feelings I have for you revolve around the love a man feels for a woman and that's the kind of love futures are made from." He watched her closely for her reaction.

"I want to be part of your future, Kid," Lou said softly and smiled when he caressed her cheek.

"Nothing would make me happier, Lou." Kid left it at that, knowing better than to push too much on that subject at the moment. He stood Lou up and drew her into his arms. He smiled and said teasingly, "I think that's enough talking for now. I can think of something else to do with those lips of yours." He ran his finger across her lips while licking his at the same time.

"Oh, you can, huh?" Lou teased back, turning her face up towards his and letting him show her what he meant. She melted into his kiss and when they broke away for air, she started pulling him toward the back of the barn.

"Are you sure, Lou?" He didn't want to push things, even though he knew how much he wanted it to happen.

"I never been more sure of anything in my life." She smiled at him. "I love you, Kid."

Kid smiled back. "I love you, too, Lou."

He led her into an empty stall and as he lay her on the hay, Lou looked at him and whispered to herself, "My once in a lifetime love."

"What did you say?"

Lou smiled. "Nothing. Just kiss me." She pulled him onto her.

"Yes, ma'am." Two bodies and lives became one as they sank into the hay, skillfully removing the burdensome clothing keeping them apart. Lou knew her life would never be the same after this and she felt so lucky to be given this second chance. She couldn't wait for what lie ahead and would never take it for granted again.

It may go disguised or right before your eyes
A once in a lifetime love

THE END

Send feedback!

_________________________________________________________
Once In A Lifetime Love

These words and thoughts were sung and written by Alan Jackson for his CD Drive.