A Night of Passion Brings A Lifetime of Love

A Night of Passion Brings A Lifetime of Love

Laura had been staying out at the Ponderosa ever since she arrived back in Virginia City. And the first week or so, Laura and Hoss did nothing but catch up all the while having a good time doing it. But a week or two later everything started to change, including feelings between Hoss and Laura. It was as if they were too shy to be around each other. She knew soemthing was wrong when Hoss started to look away eveytime Laura asked him something or the fact that it took him several minutes to answer her. So, rather than getting her heart broken over something that may only be her dream, Laura decided she would pack up and go stay in town. She knew that there was a big town dance, to which she didn't have a date. She also thought that Hoss, Joe, Adam and Ben all had dates, so this was a perfect time for her to leave. 

So, after paying a ranch hand to take her back to town and once she was back in town, the first thing she did was head over to the hotel and check herself in. Once she had all her things settled into her room, Laura then decided to go to the local bar for a drink, though she knew she wasn't old enough to drink, she decided sher could have a soda or something. Anyway, after leaving her room and the hotel, Laura walked down the way to the saloon and entered it. She noticed that there was hardly anyone in there and knew it probably had to do with the dance that was getting ready to start soon. So, Laura let out a sad sigh and parked herself at the bar and ordered herself a soda and just sat there listening to jutbox and and wishing she could be in the only man, she knew deep in her heart she was meant to love. 

Re: A Night of Passion Brings A Lifetime of Love

Hoss was happy that Laura was staying at the Ponderosa since arriving back in Virginia City. They had so much fun the first week catching up on everything. A week or two later things changed as did their feelings for each other. They were too shy to be around each other. Hoss didn't mean too but he was so shy that when Laura asked him something he would look away or he would take several minutes to answer her. Hoss had no idea that Laura was packing and planning on oing to the hotel. He was in town to get a drink to get the courage to ask Laura to dance that night. He gets back and goes looking for Laura to ask her and sees that she's gone. 

Hoss had decided to ride into town as far as the bar with Adam and Joe and wait for them there while they were at the dance. They get to the bar and Hoss goes in and sits with his brothers, until they leave to go pick up their dates for the dance. After they leave he looks around the bar and that's when he sees Laura. He goes and sits down next to her. "What are you doing here? Why did you leave?" he asks her

Re: A Night of Passion Brings A Lifetime of Love

Laura didn't say anything for a little bit nor did she look at Hoss. Then finally, she looked up into Hoss's eyes and let out a sigh. In the back of her mind, she knew she owed him an explaination, though she was very scared to tell him.  And even though she knew the consquences of what she was about to tell him, she knew there was no other way around it, except to tell him to honest truth. So, after playing with her drink for a little bit, Laura finally turned and looked deep into Hoss's eyes while she began to explain why she left so suddenly. 

"I'm here trying to drink my troubles away," she told Hoss, half joking and yet half serious. "You see, I started noticing that everytime I would try to talk to you," Laura started. "You always seem to run and hide from me," she told him as she looked down at the floor and then back up into Hoss's eyes. "And what really made me to leave was the fact that I wanted to ask you an imporant question, but you seemed to have up and disappeared," she told Hoss honestly. "I figured I had either done something wrong or said something wrong or else you were tired of me hanging around," she told him. "So I packed up and came into town to stay at the hotel, until I could figure out what to do," she told him as she looked around at the bar full of lonely drunks.

Then she looked back at Hoss and continued her thoughts. "I only found out about the dance a few minutes ago, which only adds to the depression," she told him. Then she looked at Hoss with a puzzled look. "Why are you in here? Shouldn't you be at the dance with some snobbish and yet beautiful woman?" she asked. 

Re: A Night of Passion Brings A Lifetime of Love

Hoss didn't answer right away.

He just stood there, staring at her like he was trying to take in every word all over again—like maybe if he stayed quiet long enough, he could undo the hurt in her voice.

His hat shifted in his hands as he turned it slowly, his big fingers gripping the brim tighter than usual.

"Laura..." he started, then stopped, shaking his head a little.

"I ain't been hidin' from you."

His voice was low, rough with something he didn't quite know how to say.

"I just... didn't reckon I had any right to be standin' in your way."

He glanced down at his hat, then back up at her, his blue eyes full of an honesty that was almost painful.

"Every time I seen you comin', lookin' the way you do... smilin' like that..." He let out a small, self-conscious huff. "I figured you deserved someone a whole lot better than me."

He swallowed hard.

"Someone polished. Someone who knows how to dance proper. Someone who don't trip over his own boots tryin' to say hello."

There was a faint, embarrassed smile there, but it didn't last long.

"So I kept my distance," he admitted. "Not 'cause I was tired of you... but 'cause I thought you might be better off if I did."

His fingers stilled on the hat.

"And that question you wanted to ask..." he added quietly, searching her face, "I was scared to hear it."

A beat passed.

"Figured it might be somethin' that'd make me wish I hadn't gotten my hopes up."

He shifted his weight, then finally met her eyes fully again, steady this time.

"And as for that dance..." he said, giving a small shake of his head, "I ain't got no interest in goin' there with some high-society lady."

His voice softened.

"Truth is... there's only one person I would've wanted to take."

He hesitated, just for a second.

Then said it plain.

"But she wasn't there."

Re: A Night of Passion Brings A Lifetime of Love

Laura could see that Hoss was process everything all over again. It was like he was trying to take the hurt out of her voice by just standing there and staying as quiet as he could for as long as he could. She couldn't help but noticed the way he was turning his hat in his hands slowly and holding the brim of his hat tighter than normal. Laura's expression couldn't help but go soft as she listened to his explanation as to why he couldn't face her whenever she was around him. She could tell that there was something that he was dying to tell her though she had a feeling that he just didn't know how to put it into words. And she was right, though what he said nearly knocked her off the barstool that she was sitting on. After he explained himself, he paused for a little while so that he could swallow the lump in his throat. Laura then took the opportunity to speak to him. But as she did so, she reached over and took his hand into hers. "Standing in my way?" she asked him puzzled and then went on without waiting for a reply. "Eric, I've seen what's out there," she started telling him. "And I can tell you now that there is nobody out in the wide world that I would rather spend my time with than you," she told him honestly as she still held onto his hand. It was about that time that she let go of Hoss's hand and took another drink of her drink. Then she got off her barstool, took his hat from his hands and placed it on the bar. It was then that she took his hands into hers as she went on speaking. "Eric, there is nobody better than you. And even if there is, that doesn't mean that person is right for me," she told him as she stepped closer to him while starting to wrap his arms around her. When he brought up the fact that she deserved someone who was polished and knew how to dance proper without tripping over his own boots while trying to say hello, all Laura could do was shake her head. But when he said that she would be better off if he kept his distance, that broke her.

Laura then got really close as if what she was planning on saying next was only for his ears, which in a way it was. His arms were tightly around her now as she gently placed her hands on his chest. Her eyes never left his eyes as she began to speak to him. "No, I wouldn't be better off if you kept your distance," she told him. "And no, I don't want some polished guy who may or may not be a good person," she told him. Then Laura reached up and cupped her hands around his face. "I don't care about how well he knows how to dance, or the fact that he's so shy that he fumbles over his feet," she told him, hoping that he knew she was now talking about him. "All I care about is if he loves me and needs me as much as I need him," she told him and then paused as she knew he had more to say and has Hoss was finishing up his thoughts, she could see in his eyes that she hadn't noticed before or if she had, she completely overlooked it, at least until now. And when he said that he wasn't interested in going to the dance with some high-society lady but rather a woman that wasn't even there, it was then she realized it was her that he wanted to go to the dance with. And rather than just staying at the Ponderosa and asking him to go with her, she turned and ran. Laura looked away from Hoss for a few minutes as she tried to compose herself. She didn't want him to see the tears that were threatening to fall from her eyes. When she had herself composed, she turned and looked back into Hoss's beautiful blue eyes. But instead of saying anything, Laura tilted her head and softly and yet passionately kissed him, letting her lips softly brush against his before pulling them into hers. Finally, after several minutes of passionately kissing and of course a lot of hollering from those that were still in the saloon, Laura broke the kiss and began to whisper something that she knew would make his heart sore with happiness. "I would have loved to go to the dance with you," she whispered to him. "But I think I have something much better for us to do rather than go to a dance," she added, still using that same whispered voice.