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Ike set Thunder at a brisk pace as he and Jimmy rode away from the hotel in search of the livery the boarding house owner had told Ike about. Neither rider spoke as they navigated through the dark, deserted streets, each wanting to locate the livery, bed the horses down for the night and return to the hotel to meet Kid and Buck. When they turned down the street that the boarding house was on, Ike pointed it out to Jimmy as they passed by it.
A short time later they rode up to a large wooden building that even in the dark, looked like it was need of repair. Ike and Jimmy exchanged doubtful expressions as they dismounted.
"Sure don't look like much." Jimmy commented.
(As long as the horses are taken care of, it doesn't really make a difference what the building looks like.) Ike replied.
"Guess not. Why don't you start unsaddling the horses, while I open the doors." Jimmy suggested.
Ike nodded and started to unfasten the girth of his saddle from around Thunder's stomach. Jimmy moved toward the livery to open the doors. He couldn't help noticing that the bar that held the doors in place was missing, but figured the livery owner was planning on checking the animals in his care again before going to bed. Jimmy gripped the handles on each door and gave them a hearty tug. The doors opened easily and soon Jimmy had secured them against the wall on either side of the entrance. Jimmy stepped into the livery and swept the walls on either side of him with his eyes, looking for a lantern.
He spotted a lantern and box of matches on a shelf to his left, struck one of the matches against the wall and lit the lantern. He turned the knob on the lantern at an angle, so that the interior of the livery was filled with a soft glow. Jimmy gave the large area he stood in a quick perusal and saw that his and Ike's doubtful reaction to the exterior, wasn't an accurate assumption for the interior. Blacksmith implements were arranged neatly on shelves, a keg of expertly crafted horseshoes stood in one corner, with barrels full of grain in another. Harnesses, bridles and other tack hung from nails on the walls and another shelf was covered with curry combs, hoof picks, tinned salves and other items used in the care of horses.
Ike stepped into the livery beside him and touched his arm. (Come on Jimmy. Let's get this done so we can join Buck and Kid at the hotel. I'm hungry.)
Jimmy nodded and set the lantern back on the shelf, then stepped outside to help Ike finish unsaddling the horses. They made quick work of it and stacked the four saddles beside each other on the livery floor. Jimmy motioned to Ike that he was going to head to the back of the livery to see what stalls were available. He crossed the open front area and started down the long aisle of stalls. He'd barely gone a few feet when a loud whinny pierced the quiet interior, next to his ear, startling him into drawing both of his guns.
When Jimmy could breathe again, he realized that the sound had come from one of the horses in the stalls and feeling a little foolish re-holstered his guns. Stepping closer to the stall in which the whinny had come from, Jimmy took in the familiar dark muzzle of lightning. A slow grin spread across his face as he reached out a hand a to pat the stallion's neck.
"Hiya fellow. You sure are a sight for sore eyes. You and Lou sure have given me and the other boys quite a run-around. Looks like that about to come to an end now that I've found you."
He patted Lightning for another moment or two, before continuing on down the aisle in search of empty stalls. As he was passing by Lightning's stall on the return trip, he heard a slight scuffling noise coming from within it. He paused to listen more closely, but when he heard nothing else, moved on to help Ike lead the horses to their stalls. This only took them a couple of minutes and soon both riders were heading back to the hotel.
They had only gone about a block, before something clicked inside of Jimmy's head and he stopped walking. Ike stopped too and looked at him with a puzzled expression upon his face.
(What's wrong?) He signed.
Jimmy shook his head. " I don't know. Just something keeps telling me not to let the livery out of my sight."
(What? Why?) Ike asked.
"If I knew the answer to that, I'd tell you." Jimmy replied.
He made a snap decision. " You go on to the hotel and meet up with Kid and Buck. I'm going to stick around here for a while longer. I'll be along directly."
Ike studied Jimmy for a moment, trying to decide whether or not Jimmy had found something out while they were in the livery and just wasn't telling him. He had just come to the conclusion that Jimmy wasn't hiding anything from him, when Jimmy's voice broke through his quiet observation.
"Why are you staring at me like that for, Ike?" Jimmy questioned irritably.
(No reason.) Ike signed quickly.
"Well cut it out, you're making me nervous." Jimmy told him.
(What should I tell Kid and Buck about why you aren't with me?) Ike asked.
"Tell them whatever you want to." Jimmy said impatiently. " Tell them I had a hunch that I wanted to play out and that I said I join you later."
(If you're not at the hotel in a half hour's time, I'm going to assume you ran into trouble and come running.) Ike told him.
"I'm going to need all the help I can get if I find Lou. You know how ornery she can be when anyone tries to make her do something." Jimmy replied wryly.
A wide grin split Ike's face at Jimmy's words. It faded as quickly as it had appeared as Ike considered what his friend had said. Lou was more stubborn and prideful than any other woman he had ever met, including his ma, and was determined to make her way in life by her own terms. When those terms or her abilities were questioned, she was downright dangerous to be around. He couldn't recall how many times he had heard or seen Lou blow up at Kid for his being too protective of her, leveled an icy stare at Cody for some thoughtless remark he had made or confronting Teaspoon over him not giving her a particular run because he thought it was too dangerous for her.
(Thirty minutes, no more.) Ike said, before starting off in the direction of town.
Jimmy watched as Ike faded from sight, and then headed back to the livery. Once he reached it, Jimmy stepped into the narrow walkway between the livery and the building next to it and crouched down, allowing the shadows to hide him from view and began his wait. He was going to feel foolish if his hunch fizzled out, but it wouldn't be the first time. He was willing to risk just about anything, if it meant finding Lou and convincing her to come back to Rock Creek.
Lou's breath had caught in her throat, her blood had frozen in her veins and her heart had nearly plummeted into her stomach when she had heard Jimmy's voice outside the stall. She had just known that if she made the slightest sound or took a breath that Jimmy would hear it and open the stall door. Relief had flooded through her when she heard Jimmy's footsteps continue on down the row of stalls. Her relief didn't last long though, when her foot got a sudden cramp and she moved it slightly to try and work it out. Just as she heard Jimmy moving back up the row toward the front, the toe of her boot scraped against the stall door.
She heard Jimmy's footsteps pause outside the stall for a moment, as if he was listening, and then continued on out of the livery. Several moments of agonizing silence followed as Lou waited for Jimmy and whoever else was with him, lead their horses down the row of stalls and settle them into stalls for the night before leaving the livery. As soon as she was alone again in the livery, Lou unlocked the stall door and crept out. Using the row of stalls as a guide she made her way to the front of the livery and located her saddle. Trying to be quiet and carry the saddle back to Lightning's stall wasn't an easy task, but Lou managed. Within just a few minutes she was leading a saddled Lightning out of the livery.
Jimmy had just about decided to give up his surveillance of the livery and head back to the hotel, when he heard the livery doors open. Puzzled as to who could have slipped past him, Jimmy edged closer to the end of the wall and poked his head around the corner. He was just in time to see a familiar petite form in men's clothing emerge from within the livery leading a black stallion. He waited until Lou had fastened the livery doors closed and was preparing to mount Lightning before he stepped out into the shadows toward her.
Lou started violently as a tall form stepped out of the shadows and directly into her path. Her hand immediately went for her gun, but Jimmy's was already out and in his hands before hers cleared its holster completely. Lou's hand froze on the butt of her gun as her eyes flew first to the twin barrels of the pearl handled Colts and then up into the face of the person who held them.
Jimmy couldn't help grinning down at Lou as she raised her head up to look him in the face. Her brown eyes widened slightly as she recognized him, then narrowed. He watched silently as Lou's shoulders straightened, her chin lifted and a hard expression crossed over her beautiful face. It was an expression he had seem many times before as they had faced outlaws or a band of renegade Indians, but had never thought the day would come when she would direct the look at him.
Both riders remained motionless and silent for several moments as they studied each other. Jimmy stared into Lou's angry, defiant face and couldn't help feeling relieved at having found her so soon and apparently unharmed. Still, there was something else hidden in the depths of her beautiful eyes besides anger, that puzzled him. It was a blend of three emotions he didn't see very often in Lou's eyesfeardesperationand the last a fierce protectiveness? Seeing them made him even more determined to find out the real reason Lou had left Rock Creek.
Lou met Jimmy's gray eyes with a deceptive calm that belied her inner turmoil. Anger, sadness, fear, and desperation swirled around within her at such breakneck speed that it made her head swim dizzily. Her stomach convulsed suddenly as the child she carried reacted to the turbulent emotions she was feeling. Pain shot through her stomach, followed immediately by a wave of nausea that made Lou swallow quickly and sweat break out across her forehead. As she fought against the tide of dizziness and nausea, Lou tried to think of something she could say or do to get rid of Jimmy before she started getting sick.
It wasn't until Jimmy had finished his perusal of Lou that he realized that he still had his guns out. He hesitated in re-holstering them, none too sure it was a good idea to do so while Lou still had her hand on hers. He did so anyways trusting in the close friendship with Lou, that she wouldn't shoot him no matter how angry she might be at him. Once his guns were put away, Jimmy lowered his gaze from Lou's face to the gun in her hand, then back up. He raised an eyebrow questioningly at her and waited to see what she would do.
Taking in the questioning look Jimmy was giving her, Lou reluctantly released her hold on her gun and allowed it to slide back into its holster. Once her gun was re-holstered Lou folded her arms across her chest and regarded Jimmy with a cold stare. Another couple of minutes passed in silence as each waited for the other to say something. Finally Lou let out a sigh and asked,
"What are you doing here Jimmy?"
"What do you think I'm doing here Lou? "Jimmy replied. "I'm looking for you."
"Well who asked you to Jimmy? I sure and the hell didn't! If I'd wanted you to know where I was going, I'd have drawn you a map and left directions!" Lou declared.
"You sneak out of Rock Creek in the middle of the night, without so much as a word to anyone and you expect us not to be worried? To nor come after you? To make sure you're okay?" Jimmy asked incredulously.
"Despite what you and the others seem to think Hickok, I don't need any looking after! I can take care of myself! And I didn't just leave, I left a note!" Lou told him angrily.
"A note? You think leaving a lousy note is a good enough goodbye? We're not a bunch of strangers you just met Lou! We're your friends, your family! We deserve a better goodbye than that!" Jimmy exclaimed, his own temper beginning to flare.
"Well it's the only goodbye you're going to get from me Hickok! Now if we're finished, I'll be on my way." Lou said, preparing to mount Lightning.
Jimmy 's hand shot out and grasped hold of Lou by the arm and tugged her none too gently away from Lightning. "You ain't going nowhere until you tell me why you left Rock Creek!"
