MORNING GLORY
by HBK © 2002
Teaspoon stared blankly at the eager faces in front of him. "That man you encountered last night might be the robber we've been looking for these past few days. Can you describe him for me?"
Kid tried to recall any distinct traits of the madman. "I don't quite remember. It was dark. I just remember him as being quite dirty and disorderly. He looks like he hasn't showered for days. He definitely needs a shave."
"Lou, anything you remember?" asked Teaspoon.
"He smells a little bit of alcohol. He's tall. Dark hair that falls below his ears. He wears a bandana around his neck."
"That's the man!" Teaspoon said excitedly.
Kid immediately rose to his feet. "Well, let's go get him. He has a day ahead of us."
"Now hold on a minute, son. We can't just leave right now. As the marshal, I have some unfinished work to do here. I gotta assign deputies, make sure the rides continue."
"But Teaspoon, you're foot's still bothering you," Rachel interrupted.
"That's right. I guess you boys have to go without me. You decide amongst yourselves who would go."
Their attention was stolen by the sight of Samantha on horseback. "What's she doing here?" signed Ike.
"She's becoming a regular around here," Cody said. "But I don't mind."
Rachel could see Lou's discomfort at Samantha's arrival. Judging from the circle under her eyes, Rachel was sure that Lou did not get much sleep and probably spent most of the evening bawling.
"Good morning," Samantha greeted as she put on a magnificent display of dismounting from her horse. She definitely made sure that she stuck out her assets for them to notice.
"Good morning, ma'am," Teaspoon said warmly. "What brings you here so early in the morning?"
She walked over to Kid and gave him a peck on the cheeks. Lou pretended to look elsewhere.
"Well, I'm interested in knowing the decision about what to do with Kid's horse."
"Oh right, Katy," Teaspoon said more to himself. "Well, when we find the man, we get the horse. Simple as that."
"When's the search?"
"As soon as all the talking is over," Kid said.
"As soon as you all get some breakfast," Rachel corrected.
"Well, I'm coming," Samantha said.
The riders exchanged confused glances. They did not really take her seriously the other night when she spoke of her interest to come.
"Samantha, I don't think it's for you," Jimmy said. "It could take longer than a day. You have to sleep under the stars with bugs and insects feasting on you. You have to ride long and hard."
Samantha was offended by Jimmy's comments. "I'm sure I can manage just fine."
"Samantha, it could be dangerous," Kid told her softly.
"I'm aware of that. Don't worry, Kid. I'll try not to be another person to worry about."
Kid sighed. "Are you sure you wanna come?"
Samantha nodded. "Please. I wanna be there for you."
Buck disagreed, but remained silent. Samantha was useless as far as he was concerned. She would probably slow them down.
"I want at least three of you boys to go," Teaspoon said. "The robber might meet up with his friends, and you might need every help you can get."
Lou knew if she didn't speak out now, she would lose the opportunity to come. "I'm going."
Great! Kid thought sarcastically. Another person to worry about
"Lou, please don't ask to come," Buck told her.
"I ain't asking. I'm going," she said affirmatively.
Jimmy sighed. If Samantha could come, why not Lou? She was more than capable of handling herself. She could ride. He knew she could shoot.
"Lou, you can't," Kid said firmly.
"Why can't I? Samantha's going. I have a reason to come; she doesn't."
Kid shook his head. "Lou, it's too dangerous."
"I'm going. If you say no, I'll just go on my own."
Kid looked at the riders, hoping one of them would speak their disapproval. Everyone seemed okay with her coming, which maddened him even more.
"Lou's right," Teaspoon said. "Samantha's coming. If it ain't too dangerous for Samantha, why should it be any different for Lou?"
Kid gave up. He knew that there was nothing that he could say that would make both ladies stay. For some reason, he worried more about Lou coming. He always had more concern for her despite the fact that she could manage just fine.
To break the tension, Rachel said, "Let's eat breakfast." She was unhappy with the result but felt hopeless to change anything. "You sure that arm won't bother you?"
"I'm sure," Lou replied. "It looks better now."
"I want you to be real careful, Louise. You could be facing some real danger."
"Don't worry, Rachel. I'll look out for her," Jimmy said.
Knowing Jimmy's protective nature, Rachel breathed a little easier. Nonetheless, worries kept circling her thoughts.
Buck, Kid, Jimmy, Lou, and Samantha followed the tracks for a good three-hour ride. Samantha's body ached, but she did not want to be the first one to show some tiredness. She was surprised at how good Lou could ride.
"If you ladies need to take care of some call of nature, let us know," Jimmy said. "This man sure knows how to cover his tracks."
Tracking the madman would have been a difficult affair had it not been for Buck's knowledge of tracking. "He has about thirteen hours ahead of us."
Samantha was happy at the announcement, for it meant that they would have to spend an evening camping. Being with Kid gave her quite an excitement that made her heart leap a thousand feet. "You think we'll be able to catch up before tomorrow morning?"
"I think so," Buck said. "How's your arm, Lou?"
"Fine," she lied. The hard riding made it difficult to ignore the throbbing in her arm, but she knew it was not the time to start complaining.
They continued riding until sunset. Jimmy decided that he had it with the day and was ready to settle down and have something to eat. They found a good clearing in the woods that was quite a haven in the wild.
"I'll go get some wood," Lou offered. She wanted to be as much help and as little burden as she possibly could.
"Lou, you're staying here," Kid told her. "Your arm's still wounded."
"It doesn't bother me at all," she told him as she carelessly fixed her hair.
"Lou, you're not about to carry some heavy load of wood. Stay here with Samantha while Jimmy and I get some wood. Buck will stay with you."
Lou frowned. Although Kid had the best intention when it came to her arm, he showed her nothing but hard time since their ride. She prayed that he would just come clean about what was eating him up inside. She could tell there was more to this than just losing his favorite horse. She leaned against the tree on the verge of crying.
Buck approached her, completely aware of her distress. "Lou, you okay?"
She nodded, sniffing.
"Don't pay attention to the Kid. You know he doesn't mean any word he says. I doubt he can even think straight after losing his horse."
"It's all my fault," she said for the hundredth time since the incident. "I wish I can bring Katy back on my own, and show him how sorry I am. I offered him money for the loss, but he won't accept it."
Buck chuckled, picturing Kid's refusal to take her money. "To him, that horse is priceless. From what I understand, he got it with his sweat and blood. He won't take anything for that horse since he believes he'll get it back."
"But I even offered him money for the inconvenience," she said. "I offered him money for the temporary loss, but he doesn't wanna take it. What if he doesn't get the horse? What then?"
"Don't worry. We'll get it back. The tracks we've been following are certainly Katy's. If the madman trades that horse for another, he'll be the biggest damn fool."
Lou couldn't agree more as she stared at the black stallion that temporarily replaced Katy. She remembered Kid's face as he searched for a substitute. He examined the huge collection of horses at the Pony Express and stopped in front of the stallion and said, "You'll have to do for now, buddy."
Lou smiled at the memory, remembering how adorable Kid was. He always was, even during the times when he was angry. A sudden thought crossed her mind. "Buck, how come Kid heard the gunshot?"
"He was riding home from town."
She began fixing their sleeping bags. "Why was he in town?"
"Looking for Jesse."
Could he have seen what happened between Chris and me? she silently wondered. It was possible, but it was strange how Kid did not mention it to her. Why would he mention it to me anyway? He probably thinks I'm the biggest liar in the world! Should I talk to him about it? Would he believe me if I explain the truth or has he practically made up his mind about me?
"You think Kid and Jimmy are okay?" asked Samantha.
Buck wanted to laugh. Samantha was an even bigger worrier than Rachel was. "They just left so I won't expect them to be back so soon."
Samantha nodded her understanding. She definitely got the wrong idea about coming. She thought that she would get to spend more time with Kid, and they would be together the whole time. She thought it would be a make out festival between them, but she made a mistake. Kid seemed to be in the mood for anything but romance. His mind was on getting that horse. It was a beautiful horse, but she could not understand why he wouldn't just get another one.
Samantha made sure her sleeping bag was next to Kid's. Like a loner, Lou positioned hers away from others. What's wrong with her? Samantha thought, quite disgusted with Lou's disorderly appearance. There was still dust on her face that she did not even bother washing. Samantha made sure she washed her face by the creek first thing when they stopped. She's so weird. She can't even brush her hair! And her lips sure can use some lipstick!
"Louise," Samantha called. "You ever think about going to the saloon?"
"What for?"
"Isn't that place your home?"
Lou tried to hold her composure despite the bitter insult. "It never was. I've never had a home."
"You must have enjoyed it, considering your stay there for several years."
"My father owns the place."
"So what exactly did you do there?"
Lou wondered where the conversation was going. She was aware that Samantha was just looking for an opportunity to put her down. "I just did general stuff."
"How many men have you served?"
"What do you mean by that?"
"Louise, I know you're no angel. How many customers have you had?"
"I'm sure it's not as many as you've had teaching," Lou replied in a quiet tone, hoping to hide the rage that burnt inside.
Samantha frowned, trying to determine if that was an insult or an innocent remark. "Is that how you met Kid? In bed?"
Lou fought hard not to slap the woman. She walked away, eyeing Samantha dangerously. Buck stood tensed, ready to break a potential cat fight. He wondered if he should just stay away and mind his business or if he should do something before things got too crazy.
"Louise, you may try to act innocent and fool these people. But I know you for what you are. You're nothing, but a no-good whore! Did you get paid for your whoring services or did you enjoy them so much you did them for free?"
Lou turned around, charged at Samantha with such ferocity, and in one precise moment, landed a punch in her face. Samantha reacted with some slapping, scratching, and hair-pulling. Buck quickly got himself between the two women. He never thought that staying with them would be so dangerous.
He could not even tell who was pulling what, who was scratching and slapping who. He even got some scratches from his attempt to separate them. "C'mon, cut it out now. Lou, Samantha! Quit it!"
He grabbed a hold of Lou's waist and pulled her away from the fiery Samantha. Samantha gave her a slap in the face, an obvious cheap shot. "Samantha, stop it!" Buck ordered. "This is why I don't want you two to come. This is what happens when the two of you get together. If you don't quit this, I'm telling Kid and Jimmy, and one of you has to go."
"Then she can leave!" Samantha yelled.
Buck was relieved that Lou stopped fighting in his hold. "Both of you will leave if you keep this up! We're here to find the robber. We're here to get Katy back! We're here to take care of business, not to break up cat fights. We don't need this right now!"
Lou sighed. "I'm sorry, Buck. I promise I won't do it for now."
Samantha glared at Lou. "You're such a bitch!"
"You're out of line! You had no right to say that about me! You don't even know me!"
"I can say whatever I want, you whore!" shouted Samantha.
Feisty, Buck thought to himself. "Shut up! Both of you!" he yelled, trying to maintain some order out of the chaos. He agreed with Lou. Samantha was definitely out of line, and he wanted to let Lou slip out of his hold to give Samantha what she deserved.
"I'll got get myself cleaned up," Samantha muttered under her breath. She was furious. She could see the scratches on her arms, and the impact of Lou's very manly punch still stung her face.
Buck finally released Lou once Samantha left. "Calm down, Lou."
Panting, she dropped on her knees. "God, I hate her. I'm so sorry, Buck. I didn't mean putting you in the middle. She just irritates me so much."
He sat beside her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "Hey, I' not angry at you. She deserves it."
Lou smiled despite the tears in her eyes. She had always told herself to refuse to hear the disagreeable rumors, to shut her eyes to them, and thrust them out of her mind, but sometimes they became too unbearable that all her defenses broke down. "Buck, please don't tell Kid and Jimmy about this. I have no intention on going home. I wanna get the horse back."
"Don't worry. I won't say anything if you promise not to attack Samantha."
She nodded. "But only for now. I don't know what I'll do when we return." She covered her face in her hands and began crying out of anger, not out of helplessness.
"Lou, it's all right. I don't believe anything she said about you. You've proven to be the complete opposite."
"You know, during my stay in the saloon, I used to worry about what people thought of me. I used to care so much about what they said, what kind of image I had. But after a while, I realized nothing I do will ever change their minds. I can do one thing, and they'd think the opposite. I know their words carry a little weight, but they always hurt anyway. Even if I know the truth, it still hurts to hear these things from people."
Buck nodded, feeling for the girl. "C'mon, stop crying. You don't want Kid and Jimmy to come by and see you like this."
She nodded, wiping the tears away, hoping that as soon as the tears dried, she could cast away all her pain and sorrow upon the passing time.
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