Chapter 14

"Don't you two ever get enough?"  a familiar voice teased from the entrance to the barn.

Kid and Lou broke away and stared at a smiling Buck.  He approached them, shaking his head,  "I'm tellin' ya, keep this up and I'll be an uncle before you know it."

Husband and wife looked at each other, trying not to laugh at the absurdity of his words.  Kid pulled Lou into his chest and replied,  "You're a little late with the warning there, Buck."

He noticed the strange looks on their faces, they were up to something, he could tell.  "What do you mean by that?"

Kid looked at Lou and gently prodded,  "Tell him."

She blushed then seeing how proud Kid was and that he wanted to have their news known, she looked at their friend.  "What he means is that ... we're gonna have a baby."

Buck stared first at her then Kid as the reality of her words sunk in.  "You're with child?"  he asked incredulously.

She nodded, not being able to stop the blush that kept creeping onto her cheeks.

"Oh, my gosh,"  Buck laughed.  "You're gonna have a baby.  A baby,"  he repeated then went to her and gathered her into his arms.  "Lou, I am so happy for you, that is wonderful news." 

"Thanks,"  she said as she returned the kiss he offered.

He held her with one arm while he held out his other hand to the father-to-be.  "Congratulations, Kid, way to go.  Can't say I'm surprised though."  He laughed as Lou playfully smacked him across the chest.

She and Kid couldn't help but join in his laughter.

"A baby,"  Buck said once more.  "I'm takin' it, this might explain your strange behavior lately - gettin' sick and all emotional?"  She nodded, embarrassed that she hadn't been able to hide anything from anyone.  He looked Lou over head to toe, stopping at her middle.  "You look the same to me.  So when's this big event supposed to happen?"  He was so happy for them, he knew they were going to make great parents.  He remembered Lou cringing when they used to tease her about little ones before the wedding;  he was glad that he saw excitement and joy on her face now.

Lou gave Kid a sideways glance, hoping he'd take the hint, then turned back to Buck and said,  "You'll be an uncle by late spring."  It had been embarrassing enough at the doctor's office when he knew how short a time period they'd been married;  she wasn't about to go around advertising it.  Besides, that wasn't what a proper lady would do, talk about it with men.  Now she wasn't exactly a proper lady but it really wasn't anyone except Kid's business how far along she really was.

Kid knew that somehow Buck would get the details out of him as to when it had happened but for now he was glad Lou had taken care of it.

"Uncle Buck,"  Buck said, trying the name out.  "I like the sound of that."

"And I'm going to love being called 'daddy',"  Kid said, staring at Lou.  He mouthed the words 'thank you' in her direction then grinned as she ducked her head, feeling shy from the praise.  "Now if you'll excuse us, I have a buckboard to hitch up - I want to show my wife our new home."  He smiled at Buck.

"Then it's all settled?" 

"Yep, we just came from signing the papers, it's all ours,"  Kid said proudly.

"Well, congratulations again.  I'm real happy for both of you, you deserve this,"  he told them sincerely.  "And if you need any help getting the place in order, let me know."

"I might just take you up on that,"  Kid told him as he went to get a horse out of one of the back stalls.  He led the animal outside as Buck and Lou followed.  "We got a lot of work ahead of us but I'm looking forward to it every step of the way."  He looked at Lou and smiled at what was to come their way.

"And the good thing is that there's nothing gonna come between us and what we want,"  Lou said happily.  "Things are finally goin' our way."  She met Kid's eyes, having a hard time holding back the tears that she felt surfacing.