TRAIL OF DREAMS
TRAIL OF DREAMS© Courtnee
They stood on the boardwalk, a strange assortment of people claiming to be a family. And those who did not know them looked upon them with disdain. One looked like a call girl dressed up and playing house. Another looked as if he belonged in a rocking chair on the front porch of a house that had seen great wonders in its youth. The last was a young woman who radiated the air of a man that could conquer the world. She held a small child, bundled in tiny thick blankets against the cold. But all of them had glowing faces and a smile from ear to ear.
"Rachel," Louise turned to her friend, "What time did the telegram
say?"
"Lou, he'll be here. They were probably delayed in the last town they
stopped in." She reached out a hand to pat her arm. Lou had been up early
that morning impatiently awaiting Kid's arrival. Noah had picked up on his mother's
nervousness and had been fussy. But Lou hadn't even noticed, had been to caught
up in her worries to be bothered by his incessant wails.
A cloud of dust arose on the horizon, marking the stagecoach's entrance. And
as it pulled to a stop in front of the group, Lou shoved Noah into Rachel's
arms and raced to the carriage. She stopped just as the door swung open and
a young man in army garb stepped down. With a slight nod of his head and a mumbled
'Ma'am' he sidled past her to the back of the coach, where all luggage was kept.
A sudden feeling of apprehension overwhelmed her. Unconsciously she raked her
fingers through her hair and smoothed her unwrinkled dress. She hadn't seen
him in two years and she wanted to make a good impression for their reunion.
Lou strained to look into the carriage but the late afternoon sun blinded her.
Then a familiar silhouette, though thinner, perhaps, then she remembered, blocked
out the offending rays.
To look at her beloved husband felt as if a fist were clenching her heart. She
was rooted to the spot, afraid if she moved she would wake up from this wonderful
dream. A dozen words flashed through her mind, none seemed worthy of the moment.
So she waited, waited for him to grab her up into his powerful embrace.
And to never let go again.
Standing half out of the carriage, Kid's eyes searched for his wife, oblivious
of anyone or anything else. And as his eyes met hers, tears threatened to overwhelm
him. His wife was even more beautiful than he remembered. Her hair was much
longer and loosely flowing down her back. Her skin, though still tan from days
of work outside the house, had a feminine glow about it.
Suddenly Kid was standing before Lou. His hand lifted to her cheek and swept
a feral strand of hair behind her ear, before brushing away a tear. Slowly he
lowered his lips to delicately touch hers. She answered his kiss with a passion
contained for two impossibly long years. Their arms crushing each other close
in an embrace told, more than words could have, how much they had missed each
other.
A lone wail broke the young lovers apart, and with heaving chests they simultaneously
remembered the others. Lou snapped her head back to observe Kid's reaction to
Noah. She watched as a mirage of emotions cascaded across his lean face, from
confusion to understanding and then finally to wonder. She quickly reached Rachel
and lifted her crying son to her bosom. Standing in front of Kid she offered
Noah to him.
Kid, with trembling hands, awkwardly held him up to his face. He studied every
feature of his child, noting that he resembled him more than his mother. A giggle
bubbled out of his mouth. He had a son, a beautiful son. And he had Lou to thank
for this miracle. His love for this amazing woman grew to no bounds. He pulled
her close and for the first time they were a family.
Reality hit Lou as what Rachel and Teaspoon had already noticed, was made
clear to her at last. She stood back as Kid had said his greetings to the rest
of the family. She saw the limp that had earlier evaded detection. Aching with
the desire to go to him, Lou wrapped her arms around her chest. This must have
been the reason he was discharged. She wondered if he was disappointed, after
all he did join the war for love of his home. And the war was in no way nearing
completion. Momentarily she wondered were Katie was, but as her eyes searched
the rear of the wagon she spotted her.
"Lou, you ready to go home?"
She circled her arm around Kid's waste as they headed to the station. The rest
of the evening passed by in a blur for Lou. She was anxious to get her husband
alone to herself. They had a lot of catching up to do, among other things. A
blush stained her cheeks as her mind went into detail on those 'other things'.
Kid must have read her mind because a knowing grin curled his lips.
Lou's embarrassment intensified as Rachel, with a great deal of prodding, reminded
Teaspoon they had chores to tend to in the barn. They both put Noah to bed and
retired to their bedroom. Nervousness returned to her again as she closed the
door.
But silently Kid took her hand and led her to the bed. All anxiety evaporated
as the gift of love making consumed them. They tasted of each other ravenously
as both passion and desire reigned out of control and ended in a contented release.
As they lay in each other's arms, peaceful for the first time in years, Kid
began to talk. He related all the horrors of the war, the fear that had laid
siege to his every waking hour, the despair of ever seeing her again, of ever
knowing his son. She lay there instinctively knowing he needed her silence to
lend him courage. Raw emotion cracked in his voice as he wound down to the end.
She could hear the pain his injury had caused him and decided it still did.
And she felt more than he told her, that there was something else he wasn't
ready to speak of.
Lou propped her head up on her hand, leaning across his chest, "Kid,"
he turned to look at her and she could see the tears trapped on his lashes.
She deftly kissed them away, wishing she could take away his pain just as easily.
"I love you."
"Louise," he whispered the endearment lovingly as they gave in to
wild abandon once again.
Sometime, late into the night, Lou woke to soft laughter. Lying beside her
were the two people most dear to her in her life. Pleasure coursed through her
body, leaving not a single part of her untouched. She watched as Kid got to
know his son for the first time. Noah pumped his feet, giggling as his father
tickled his belly.
"He looks just like you, Kid,"
Kid was startled as he was not aware that his wife was awake. "Lets hope
he takes after his Ma."
"Uh, Kid, I don't think you want him dressin' up like a woman, do ya."
As punishment for her teasing remark, Kid proceeded to tickle Lou. There soft
laughter tinkled down the hallway to interrupt to very vigorous 'friends'.
"Well Teaspoon, It looks like everything's gonna work out fine."
"Yep. What'd I tell ya, Rachel," Teaspoon took a deep breath, preparing
to go into one of his long-winded speeches. "As I recall…"
"Oh be quiet, I got somethin' else other than a lecture on my mind."
A gentle breeze blew in from the west. And in the coral, a horse lifted her
head to taste the wind. With a snort she resumed her grazing, aware that a storm
was stirring on the horizon.
