WITHOUT YOU
WITHOUT YOU
When Lou and her son woke the next morning, Jimmy was already gone and so was the body of the gunman. Jimmy had left his bedroll and saddle bags behind and Lou silently breathed a sigh of relief that he would be coming back, that he hadn't deserted her again.
After they ate they went right to work on the mine, not waiting for Jimmy to return.
A few hours and a large pile of rocks later, Jimmy returned toting a bundle of packages. He dumped them in front of the tent.
"Whatcha got there?" His son asked of him, curious.
"Food, more ammunition, some other stuff. You'll find out later." To Lou he said, "I cleaned out my room at the saloon. I hope you don't mind, but like I told you last night, you're stuck with me from now on. I took the body to the sheriff this mornin'. He didn't recognize 'im. 'Course with all the new faces around here, it's not surprisin'."
He shrugged off his jacket and vest and rolled up his sleeves. Picking up an ax he'd brought with him from town, he asked, "Where do ya' want me to start?"
"You're plannin' on helpin' us?" His son asked, stunned that Wild Bill would even want to get his hands dirty.
"Yep." Came his simple reply.
"Aren't you afraid of getting' your fancy clothes dirty, Wild Bill?"
"I'll have you know I had my own piece of land 'round here, it just didn't pan out. I was better at cards anyway."
"Then why don't you go back to the saloon and leave us be?"
"Jimmy, that part of my life is over. Like I told your ma, you all are stuck with me. I know I'm new at being a father and all, but you're gonna have to get used to me being around. I'd like it if we could get along. I know I've got a lot to make up for."
He paused before continuing, "I'd appreciate it if you'd call me somethin' other than Wild Bill. You don't have to call me pa, but how 'bout Jimmy or James. Hell, Hickok is better than Wild Bill."
"Alright, Hickok." His son grinned broadly.
'How'd I know he'd pick that?' Jimmy thought to himself. He sighed and walked over to where Lou was working and started chipping away at the rock.
She glanced over at him and whispered, "Hickok, huh?"
Jimmy shrugged and kept working.
A few hours later they stopped for a lunch break. After finishing their meal, Jimmy dug into one of his packages. He pulled out three cans of peaches.
"Peaches! Ma, we haven't had peaches in a long…"
"Jimmy, hush." Lou gratefully took one of the cans and thanked him.
"Uh, Lou, I thought you were doing alright for money." The older Jimmy asked.
"We are…now. I just haven't wanted to make it known in town we struck gold. And before…well, it wasn't as easy as I made it sound. Actually I sold out my half of the ranch to Buck a couple years back. So we've been on our own ever since. We used the last of the money to buy this stake of land and minin' supplies. Luckily, we hit gold last week."
"I know. That's why you haven't had any trouble until now."
"But how do you know when we hit gold? I just told you." She stammered out.
"The assayer, that's how."
"That man has a big mouth."
"I'm countin' on it."
She looked at him questioningly. "What do you mean?"
"I made it known in town today that Wild Bill Hickok was protecting you and the claim."
When Lou just stared at him, he added, "Might as well use my reputation to our advantage. Those claim jumpers will think twice before they mess with ya' now." He winked at her.
"We could have handled it fine by ourselves last night." His son argued.
"I know ya' coulda, son. But what about the next time? What if your ma's out here all by herself and you're in town? And what if there's more than just one next time?"
His son started to interrupt, but Jimmy cut him off, holding his hand up. "Now before you say it, I'm not doubting your ma's ability with a Colt…or yours." He hastily added. "But I want two of us out here at all times, nobody's to be out here alone."
'Except me.' He silently added.
"Now why don't we open those peaches up for dessert?" He suggested.
Later that night, Lou and Jimmy sat at the campfire again, keeping watch. Their son had already turned in for the night.
"Lou, you know you're not foolin' anyone dressed like that."
"Maybe, maybe not. But we told everyone in town we were brothers, Jimmy and me, and that's the way it's gonna have to stay for now. 'Sides I can get away with so much more dressed as I am than I ever could being dressed as a lady. You know that. Teaspoon woulda never hired me in the first place if I came there dressed as a girl, the Express didn't hire no girls. But once I proved myself to him, it didn't matter."
"Lou, this is different. Yesterday, the assayer told me right off you were a woman and he thought the boy was probably your son. Like I said, you're not foolin' anyone. You're body's not shaped like that of a young boy anymore, Lou. Havin' Jimmy rounded you out in places that just weren't there before." He smirked at her. "And I have to admit, I sure do like those rounded places on ya'."
She blushed. "Jimmy Hickok, you're making me blush. Cut it out."
"Aw, Lou, c'mon. I was complimentin' ya'."
She smiled at him.
"That's better. You sure are pretty, Lou." Then he kissed her. It began as a simple kiss, but quickly grew into something more…something much more.
He gently carried her inside his tent he had set up earlier in the day and laid her down upon his bedroll. He began working at the buttons of her shirt, kissing the nape of her neck.
"Wait, Jimmy. I've gotta tell you somethin'." She said breathlessly.
"Lou, it's okay."
"No, you don't understand. I haven't…that is…aw, hell, Jimmy, you're the last man I've been with."
"Not even Buck?" He regretted the words as soon as they left his mouth. But the pause she gave spoke volumes to him. "Lou, you don't have ta' lie to me. It's alright."
"Alright, alright. We tried. Once. When Jimmy was just a baby. But it just didn't work. It wasn't right. We never tried it again. So can we just quit talkin' 'bout it? Fifteen years is an awfully long time to wait for somethin' like this."
Jimmy grinned from ear to ear, elated there hadn't been anyone since him. His only regret was he couldn't say the same for himself. But from this moment on, there would be no one else but Lou.
They made love throughout the night. Making up for lost time.
As dawn broke over the horizon, the lovers quietly made their way out of the tent and rebuilt the fire that had died out during the night. Lou started the coffee as Jimmy went back to the tent to retrieve the blanket. While they sat and drank the strong brew, they cuddled together under the covers. That's how their son found them when he awoke.
"Guess this means you two are gettin' married…finally?" He asked.
"That depends." Jimmy said simply.
"What do you mean by that, Hickok?" Instantly on the defensive.
"Well, your ma never said yes." He grinned.
Lou's son glared at her.
She playfully batted Jimmy on his arm. "You're right, I haven't." She got that mischievous twinkle in her eye and simply kept quiet.
She quickly erupted into a fit of giggles when Jimmy relentlessly tickled her into submission.
"Say yes, Lou. Say yes." He kept tickling her.
"Alright, alright." He stopped the tickling. "I'd be honored to marry you, Mr. Hickok."
Grinning, he kissed her soundly. In the background they could both hear their son groan and mumble something about "parents" as he stalked off in the direction of the creek.
'Maybe there's hope yet.'
Jimmy thought to himself. After all, his son just admitted he was his parent.