The Blessing
~~ Part 1 ~~
Kid couldn't believe Lou had finally said yes. After not taking him seriously, then turning him down, and then their break up, as much as he loved her Kid began to think that they were never meant to be. But after what they went through trying to save Dawkins, he knew they were meant to be. After all, Adrian gave his life so they could be together. As the minister had said, they were truly blessed.
When she made him promise never to ride on without her again, he knew she was finally ready to give her heart to him completely. He had hoped for somewhere more romantic than a cemetery to propose, but he couldn't wait any longer. At least this time he had gotten everything right. He'd removed his hat, gotten down on bended knee, took her hand, called her by her given name, and had at least gotten most of the words out of his mouth before she enthusiastically showed him and then said yes.
Well he'd almost gotten everything right. Being born in the South, he knew it was proper to ask for the father for their daughters' hand in marriage, but that was impossible. Even though Teaspoon was like a father to all of them, asking him wasn't the same thing. So he figured he'd ask the next best person.
Kid hadn't gone back to the orphanage any of the times Lou had gone to see her brother and sister, but he knew Lou had told Mother Superior that he was allowed to visit with them, and even to take Jeremiah & Teresa in case anything had ever happened to her.
Trying to pack for the trip and leave before Lou got back from her run, Kid rehearsed in his mind what he was going to say. He had hoped to take them somewhere nice to tell them the news. He wasn't sure if they'd remember him, but he had hoped Lou had talked to them about him. He decided he would be honest with Jeremiah; treat him as the man he was starting to become at fourteen. Kid remembered not too long ago when he was that age, and knew what a confusing time it could be.
There was a knock on the bunkhouse door before Rachel entered. "Here I brought the clothes you asked me to wash. Are you all set to go? You better get a hurry on it; Lou's due back any time now."
"I'm almost ready." Kid said as he finished putting in his nicest shirt in his saddlebag. Even though his gun shot wound had healed quickly, he grimaced in pain as he pulled the bag off of Lou's bunk. His shoulder was still sore, but at least he didn't have to wear the sling anymore.
"Are you sure you should be doin' this without lettin' Lou know? She has a few days off comin' up, and I'm sure she'd love to go see them."
"This is somethin' I need to do on my own Rachel," Kid said. He had explained the purpose of the trip when he asked her if she would do a special load of laundry for him. "You know how much this means to me."
Rachel nodded. "I know, just think Lou should go with you is all. But when you're ready to go, Katy's saddled and ready for you."
"Thanks Rachel. Let Lou know I'll be back in a few days and we can finish makin' arrangements for the wedding when I get back."
"Ride safe Kid," she said as she exited the bunkhouse.
Kid followed and untied Katy from the rail. As he mounted he saw a cloud of dust and knew Lou would soon be passing the mochilla off to Noah. Luckily he was heading in the other direction.
Lou rode up beside the clothes line where Rachel was busy hanging a load of sheets. "Where's Kid goin'?" she asked.
Rachel looked up at Lou and smiled. "Said he had some important business to take care of and would be back in a few days."
Lou sighed as she dismounted. "He knew I had some time off comin' up and I wanted to spend it with him makin' weddin' plans."
"He wanted me to tell you he'd be back in a few days and you guys could finish everything up then."
Lou led Lightning towards the barn and went through the motions of cooling her down before letting her loose in the paddock in the back. Lightning had picked up on Lou's anxiousness to return and needed some time to settle down before being cooped up in her stall. Lou gave her a carrot from the supply of treats Noah had left out, and headed towards the bunkhouse.
She and Kid had been engaged for over a week now, and since then they'd hardly had time for each other. Except for a few precious stolen moments here and there, they were always around everyone or one of them was out on a ride. Finally their schedules had coincided with each others and they had a few days off together.
But now all she wanted to do was to take a quick shower to wash off the dirt and grime she had accumulated over the past two days, then collapse into her bunk and sleep for the next few hours. When she woke, she would talk Teaspoon in to giving her some extra time off so she could go see her brother and sister.
She and Kid still hadn't talked about what they would do once they were married, especially concerning Teresa and Jeremiah. She hoped that before long, they'd be settled enough where they could finally bring them to live with them and they could all be one family. It wouldn't be easy at first, especially where Jeremiah was concerned, but they'd make it work.
After showering and changing, she climbed up in to her bunk and turned towards the wall. As she had done since they became engaged, Lou fell asleep thinking about the wedding; especially how her brother and sister could be a part of it.