Building a Dream

The morning Sam began his long walk to town Dove seemed very sad. She stood in the yard quietly watching him until he was out of sight. When she could no longer see Sam Dove returned to her work. Sam took the male dog Blue with him and left the female, Princess with Dove. Princess was heavy with pups and didn't need to make the trip. Besides, Dove needed a companion while he was gone.

It took Sam two days and part of a third one to walk to Nacogdoches. The town was much larger than Sam expected. There were several businesses and all seemed to be doing a lively trade. There were livery stables, blacksmiths, several general stores and houses. There was also a bunch of saloons, cantina's, houses of ill repute and cafés. There were several hotels and other smaller businesses. Sam had shot a large buck that morning and went straight to a café to see if he could sell it. He lucked out and sold the entire deer to the café owner. Unfortunately he did not make much money. He managed to talk the owner into giving him a week's free food and one dollar for the meat. Sam did find out however that he was now living in the spring of 1873. Nacogdoches was a thriving if small community.

After selling his venison Sam walked the whole town asking about work. One stable owner allowed him to muck out the stalls for a dime and a blacksmith had some rearranging he allowed Sam to do that earned him another fifteen cents. That was all the work he could find. No one knew anyone who was hiring either. Sam did get an agreement from one store owner and the café owner to purchase another deer each next week. Early the next morning Sam ate a large breakfast at the café before he left. The café owner agreed he could eat his remaining meals whenever he came back to town. Next Sam went to one of the stores for the supplies he could purchase with the small amount he earned. To his surprise he managed to get enough flour, salt, coffee and a few other items to last for almost a month the way they used things. He even managed to purchase a few cans of canned food. Things were way cheaper in this time period.

Sam began the long walk back to his cabin carrying his little pack of food and his rifle. He just had to figure out how to make more money and get a horse. Since he knew the route home he made the trip in only two days. It had been almost a week since he left. When he arrived home Dove jumped up from her work and ran to meet him. She jumped into his arms and hugged him tightly then smothered him in kisses. Princess was frolicking around their feet as they welcomed each other.

Sam spent the next two days with Dove. They didn't do much but love each other, sleep and eat. Sam did take time one morning to shoot a deer for Dove to eat while he was gone on his next trip. On the third day after arriving home Sam once again took off early heading to town. He planned to shoot his deer the next morning and wanted to be closer to town when he did that.

Sam successfully shot his deer and delivered them as agreed. After he did that he purchased a few more supplies and returned home. This schedule continued for six weeks. On his return home the sixth time there was a change in his trip. He was leaving town when a man stumbled out of a saloon and ran into Sam. The man became belligerent. Sam knew better than to back down. Unfortunately he had no pistol. When the man began to draw his pistol on Sam he reacted in reflex. He always carried his rifle in his right hand with a round chambered. He had practiced cocking it and firing one handed much as if it was a pistol. This practice came in very useful, perhaps it even saved his life this time. When Sam saw the man drawing his pistol he jammed the rifle in the man's belly and pulled the trigger.

Before the man could fall Sam cocked the rifle once again and shot him a second time. Sam's assailant rose slightly on his toes then he sagged. His pistol dropped from his already lifeless hands and landed on the edge of the sidewalk then tumbled into the dusty street. The man seemed to melt downward, flowing into the dusty street where he lay in a pool of his own blood.

Sam barely had time to reflect on the occurrence when a tall man wearing a badge came rushing up to him. He said, "What's going on here?" Sam spent a couple of minutes explaining what had happened to the sheriff. The witnesses corroborated Sam's statements and the sheriff ruled the killing self defense. The good thing about the altercation was that Sam now owned the man's possessions. He had a pistol and some ammunition for it. He also kept the man's clothes for some reason. He found a money belt on the man that contained $63.47. The best thing though was Sam now owned an older horse and tack. That would make his trips to town much easier and would even help with his work back home.

Dove was very excited when Sam rode into the yard that evening. Sam hurt badly. His ass hurt, his thighs hurt from the chafing on the saddle and his legs hurt from the unaccustomed riding. He had never ridden before mounting his new horse in Nacogdoches. The short days ride was very painful to him. Dove quickly helped Sam put the horse up in the shed behind the cabin. Over the course of the next week they built walls on the open front to protect the horse better from possible varmints. They also partitioned off stables inside for the horse and made a place to store the tack.

The next week Sam once again went to town to deliver his venison. This time he made the trip in one day on his new horse. Things were definitely looking up for Sam and Dove. Sam took some of the money he had taken from the man he killed and purchased harness and a set of ropes and chains. He intended to clear some ground so he could sow some vegetables and wheat for flour next spring.

Sam continued delivering venison to town throughout the fall and early winter. Occasionally when he was in town he would find a job to do for more spending money. Very rarely he would even find work for a couple of days.

In mid March Danger once again reared its head. Sam was on his way into town with his meat. He heard gunshots coming from a grove of trees ahead of him. He quickly rode in the direction of the shots. When he saw the canvas top of a wagon he stopped his horse and got down. Sam quietly worked his way toward the wagon. He saw a man laying on the ground bleeding. There were two men wrestling with a young woman.

Sam watched while one of the men hit her in the belly with his fist. When she bent forward they threw her on the ground and the man that hit her lifted her skirt. He moved between her legs and pulled his hard cock out. He grabbed his cock and began guiding it into her pussy. The woman was screaming and writhing trying to get away while the second man held her and laughed. Sam rapidly cocked his rifle, took aim and shot the man attempting to rape the woman. When Sam fired the second man dove to the side and pulled his pistol. He was scrabbling around crawling trying to find cover and locate Sam at the same time. Sam took aim and fired at him. He watched in pleasure as the man's head exploded from the rounds impact.

Sam carefully moved into the small clearing where the wagon sat. He checked the first man he shot to verify he was dead then turned to the crying woman. Sam helped her to her feet. When she saw the first dead man she ran to him and hugged him to her breast. She kissed his dead face while her whole body shook with her tears. Sam walked up and just placed his hand on her shoulder while she grieved over her man.

After she had cried for a while Sam helped her stand. He asked, "Ma'am do you have a shovel? If you do I'll help you take care of your man." The woman walked to the wagon and pulled a shovel from it then handed it to Sam. They buried the young man and Sam said a few words for him.

After he finished with the burial Sam checked the men he had killed for valuables then went and found their horses. Both horses were excellent stock and the saddles were in excellent shape. The men's guns were well used and old but in good shape.

Sam turned to the woman once more and said, "Ma'am I need to get on into town now. I have meat to deliver. Can I hook up your team and drive you into town?"

The woman nodded her head yes. She said, "Thank you for your help."

As they rode into town the woman sat beside Sam. Just as they came into sight of Nacogdoches she began to talk. She said, "We were only married three weeks. We were going to find us some land and settle down. Now I don't know what I'll do. I have no man and almost no money. Is there work for a lady in this town?"

Sam sat and thought for a moment. He turned to her and said, "Honestly I don't know. I know I tried to find work and couldn't. I make four dollars weekly supplying venison to a store and café. All we can do is ask." While Sam was talking the woman watched him with a quizzical expression on her face.

Sam drove the wagon into town and parked it in front of the general store. He helped the woman who said her name was Janey Baker down. She followed Sam into the store when he delivered the deer to the storekeeper. As Sam was leaving she began asking about work. Sam stopped for a moment and listened to her. He couldn't place what was bothering him about her but something was strange. He shrugged to himself and continued outside. He was out of the store before he heard the storekeepers reply to Janey. Sam quickly delivered his meat to the café and verified they too wanted more the next week. They did ask if he could find something besides venison that trip.

After Sam completed his deliveries he went into the saloon for a beer. While he was there a very embarrassed Janey walked slowly into the building. When the bartender came up to her she timidly asked if he might have a job for her. He stepped back and looked her up and down. He said, "Pull up your dress honey and let me see yer legs."

Janey blushed and stepped back. "I will not! What kind of woman do you think I am? I am a lady looking for honest work. I'm not some tramp!"

The bartender turned and walked back behind the bar. He began wiping the bar down and said, "Well then I got nothin' fer ya. Just you get on outta here before one of the gents does somethin' to upset yer sensibilities."

CHAPTER 2 JANEY

Janey turned from the building crying. Sam finished his beer and left the saloon. When he got to the street he saw Janey sitting on her wagon seat. Her shoulders were shaking from her crying. Sam walked up and stood beside the wagon. He climbed up onto the seat beside Janey and wrapped his arm around her shaking shoulders. Without thinking about his action Sam gently pulled Janey into his arms and hugged her against his chest.

Sam felt Janey snuggle into his embrace. Finally her tears stopped once more and she looked up at Sam. She said, "Oh, Mr. Pritchard what am I going to do? It's over 300 miles back to my family if they would even take me back. I'm afraid I ran away from home and married Joel against my father's wishes. I have nowhere to go and only have about six dollars plus this wagon to my name. I checked with every business in town where a lady could work. None of the business owners would hire me except for that dreadful man in the saloon. I'll starve before I do the things he wanted me to do."

Sam hugged Janey once again and said, "Well Janey all I can think of is you come home with me." He felt Janey stiffen in his arms and pull away slightly. He continued talking before she said anything. "You have anything against Indians Janey?"

"Oh, my. I don't know. I hear they're very dangerous and not to be trusted. Why do you ask?"

"My woman's an Indian. You would have to get along with her if we take you in Janey. We can let you stay until you can find something if you want but you would have to help around the place some."

Janey felt a surge of anger when Sam said that. She looked him in the face. Her eyes were flashing and she said, "I'm sure I can get along with your wife just fine Mr. Pritchard. And I'm insulted that you thought you had to tell me I had to work for my keep. How dare you? Haven't I been trying to find work? Of course I would help out all I could. I even have some food in the wagon to help with my upkeep. Thank you for the offer. If you meant it I would like to take you up on it until I can figure something out."

"Janey I'm sorry. I didn't mean to imply I thought you would just lie around the house and do nothing. I shouldn't have said what I did. Let me buy a few things in the store and we'll go. Do you need anything from the store while I'm inside?" Janey looked down at her hands clasped in her lap and shook her head no.

It only took about ten minutes before Sam was back. He placed his purchases in the wagon then checked the horses tied to Janey's wagon. After making sure his horse and the two he had taken from the men he killed were tied tightly Sam got back into the wagon. Within minutes they were on the way out of town heading toward his home.

Late that afternoon Sam and Janey camped in the same place she and her husband had camped in. Sam really didn't want to use that campsite but it was the only spot with water they could find at the right time to stop. After a very tasty supper which Janey prepared Sam rested. He listened to Janey while she paid her last respects to her husband. She told him she would miss him forever and that she had found a nice man who was helping her. Sam was asleep before Janey moved away from the grave.

Sam still hadn't gotten completely used to the western way of doing things. He felt guilty the next morning when he had to just sit and watch Janey prepare the breakfast. He was embarrassed when he realized he had no idea where she slept the night before and he had not even thought about their safety over night. Sam was grateful for one thing though. Janey served him three fried eggs for breakfast. She and her husband had a crate of chickens they had been taking with them to their new home. These were the first eggs Sam had seen since arriving downtime. He dove into the meal then guiltily noticed all Janey had was a hard biscuit and a piece of meat.

Sam stopped eating when he noticed that, looked at Janey and said, "Janey why don't you have any eggs? Don't you like them or something?"

She looked over at him and said, "Yes I like them fine. There wasn't enough for both of us. Why did you ask?"

"Bullshit!" Sam said. He quickly stood and walked over to Janey. She cringed away from him slightly when he stood over her. He grabbed her plate and scraped one of the eggs into it then handed it back to her. He said, "Those are your eggs. I don't have to have all of them nor do I need them. We all eat the same thing at my table. If one of us is hungry we all are hungry. If one of us has egg the others do too."

Janey looked up at Sam in shock. She looked at the egg on her plate then back to Sam. She licked her lip and said, "Ok Sam. I'm sorry but thank you. I just didn't know how you would be. Joel always demanded the best. I mean, well I was raised that a woman took care of her man first then her children then herself. I had enough without taking your egg Sam."

Sam leaned back on the log he was using for a back rest and said, "Janey I've heard some people do things like that. I don't. I take care of my women and I expect them to take care of me but none of us should hog all the best."

Janey sat for a moment then looked at Sam. She felt a little fluttering in her chest and stomach. She smiled and said, "Is that what I am now Sam? Am I your woman now? Am I ONE of your women?"

Sam sat in shock. He couldn't believe Janey asked that. Then he realized what he just said. He had all but told her she was one of his women. He didn't know what to say. He just looked at her, shook his head slightly and continued to eat his breakfast.

Janey looked at Sam and did not press the point. Much to her surprise the thought of being his woman didn't bother her even knowing he already had a wife. She felt strangely excited when she thought about that. Sam was very manly. There was something about him that made her pussy wet and her nipples hard. She had never felt like that with Joel. She wondered what would happen at Sam's cabin. Somehow she felt as if they were kindred spirits. There was a connection already forming with him that she couldn't explain and that she had never had with her deceased husband.

Sam's cabin sat back in the woods far enough it was well hidden. There were several small clearings nearby that he intended to use for fields. He also intended to clear more brush to make more fields. Unfortunately some of the trees along the trail to his cabin were close enough together that he could not get Janey's wagon all the way into his yard. When they had driven as close as they could to the cabin Sam stopped and they rode the rest of the way on the horses Sam acquired from the men he killed.

When they arrived in the yard they saw Dove working on her hides. When she heard them she stood and began moving toward Sam and Janey. She had a questioning look on her face. Sam jumped off his horse and pulled her into a tight embrace. After the greeting Dove stepped back and looked up at Janey. She said, "Who she?"

Sam spent the next several minutes explaining to Dove why Janey was with him. Finally Dove looked over at Janey once again and said, "Is good. Good providers can support more women, have many babies." Dove looked over at a blushing Janey and said, "Come. I show cabin then we get things."

Janey and Sam tried to explain her presence to Dove. They tried to tell her Janey was not his wife but he was helping her. Somehow Dove could not accept that explanation. She finally looked at the two and said, "You kill man who capture her then take her away and bring her to your cabin. She your woman now." Dove then walked off satisfied the matter was solved.

Sam and Janey were still talking when Dove returned from the cabin. She looked at Sam and Janey then said, "We go get things now, bring to cabin."

Sam shrugged his shoulders and went to the house. He picked up his wood cutting tools and followed Dove toward the wagon. Janey and Dove were inside the wagon when Sam got to the first tree that needed to be cut down. He placed his tools out of the way and started his chain saw. He didn't use it often because of his limited supply of fuel but felt justified this time.

When she heard the noise Janey's head jerked up and she looked around wildly. Dove reached out and placed her hand on Janey's shoulder. Dove said, "Is ok. Is Sam's tree machine. Cuts tree down fast."

Janey shook Dove's hand off and jumped down from the wagon. She ran into the woods to where Sam was working. Sam finished with the cut on the first tree he was going to drop. He jumped back out of the way and watched it fall just where he wanted it to fall. After it had fallen he saw Janey standing watching him. Her shoulders were shaking once again as she cried. Sam thought she was frightened and walked up to talk with her before he returned to work.

When Sam got to Janey she stood switching her gaze from him to his saw and back. He carefully sat the saw down and reached for Janey. Tears were dripping down her cheeks. She licked her lips and said, "You have a chain saw. Can you help me get home? How did I get here? How did you get here? What time did you come from?"

Sam felt his stomach lurch. Janey knew what a chain saw was. She wasn't scared of it and she knew what it was! He rushed to her and pulled her into a tight embrace. The two uptimers held each other in a tight embrace for several minutes. Finally Janey pushed back and wiped her tears from her cheeks. She said, "I have been so alone. When I got here I was so frightened. I had nothing and no one would help me. I wandered into Joel's patents farm and they took me in. He was younger than I am but after I had been there for a year we fell in love and I agreed to marry him. I'm sorry I lied to you about my parents but I didn't know you were from uptime then.