Who did he think he was? Who did he think SHE was! And where in sam hill did he get the nerve thinking anything was any of his business? That no-good, dirty...

"Lou?"

Of all the people to be askin' her something like that! Just who the hell...

"Lou!"

To hell with him! He's been so busy chasin' that skirt of that damn schoolteacher, she was surprised he'd even remembered her name. Not like...

"Louise! You don't pay attention and you're gonna peel your fingers off right along with the rest of that potato,"

Chocolate eyes flew up at the sound of the name she rarely heard used anymore. Looking back down, she realized she was no longer holding a potato, but scraps of what was left of it.

"I... I'm sorry, Rachel. Just got ta thinkin' is all," Lou sighed and reached for another potato. Rachel nodded, and set down the dish she had been drying. Grabbing a dry cloth, she wiped her hands and sat down next to Lou.

"You wanna tell me what's got you so fired up?" the red head asked her quietly. Rachel knew all too well that trouble had been brewing for quite a while between Louise and The Kid. Fact was, everyone who had been within 5 miles of the barn this morning probably knew about it by now.

"Rachel... I...," she paused, trying to force the tears back down, "I just..."

"RIDER COMIN'!" Both ladies jumped a bit at the sound of Cody's voice ringing through the station. Lou's hands stilled in their actions, the potato long forgotten. Rachel looked at the young girl, and realized that she was downright frightened. Rachel slowly began to understand that Lou's problems didn't just center around Kid. Rachel knew Jimmy had been expected back that afternoon, and she wondered what it was about that that caused Lou to become so afraid.

"Louise? What's wrong, honey?" Lou's eyes flicked quickly to the headmistress of the waystation, and then back down at her hands. Why did the Kid have to confront her this morning? It wasn't like she'd done anything wrong.

"Hey, Lou?" She turned around swiftly, not having expected anyone to be up that early.

"Aw hell, Kid! Ya scared me half to death," She looked at his face and saw the steely resolve set in his gray eyes and knew this was about to get hairy.

"Lou. We need to talk,"

"Well, -I- gotta get this hay in these corrals. What do we need to talk about that's so important," Lou turned back to the pitchfork and kept working.

"We need to talk... about Jimmy," Lou's activity paused abruptly, and she whirled around to face Kid.

"What about him? Ain't like I'm an expert in the subject of Jimmy Hickok," Lou didn't like the way this conversation was turning. Kid took a few steps towards her and she involuntarily took a step back.

"Funny, as much time as you two have been spendin' together lately, I would think you'd know everything there is to know about Jimmy," Lou's eyes widened, and she resisted the urge to swing on him right then and there.

"Funny, Kid, I don't see how that's much of your business. 'Sides, it ain't like I got anyone else ta spend my time with. Seein' as how you're so busy with your new found 'friend', Samantha," Lou fumed, 'And for that matter, I don't like what you're implying about me. I'd like ta think that you think more of me than that, but frankly I don't know WHAT you're thinkin' anymore!"

"Yeah, I don't know what -I- was thinkin' either. 'Cause I thought Jimmy was my friend. I guess I thought wrong," That had done it. Next thing Lou knew, her fist had connected with the Kid's face and she went storming out of the barn, hot tears pouring down her cheeks.

"RACHEL! I think you better get out here!" Cody's voice pierced through the kitchen, and both women stood, rushing out the screen door.

"Oh dear god in heaven..." Rachel gasped. Lou stood directly behind her and had to push past the buxom woman to see what was going on. What she saw made her blood run colder than ice.