I'm sending this out for those who have just joined the group. Say hello to
Ann who will just be a reader in the group. Ann this should get you caught
up to where we are now.
Characters:
Cheyanne Beaujuex:
Ward of Josiah Sanchez and in love with Vin Tanner
Josiah was a friend of Cheyanne's father when he was killed Josiah found 16
year old Cheyanne beaten and raped. He has been her guardian ever since.
Josiah Sanchez :is one of the seven men who protect the town we call Four
Corners. A preacher of sorts. He and Cheyanne live at the church he is
fixing up.
He built Cheyanne a living area behind the church. While he sleeps in the
room inside the church.
Vin Tanner: ex buffalo hunter and bounty Hunter In love with Cheyanne
Annabelle (Belle) Chandler:
Recently arrived in Four Corners She bought the Potters store after Mr
Potter was killed and then later on Mrs. Potter decided to sale and move
away.
She will be Josiah's love intrest.
Emma Clark;
Resident dress maker and Ezra's love interest
Ezra Standish: Gambler, and One of the Seven men who protect the town
Lily Patterson, nee Deveraux;
Chris's Love interest, also co owns the local tavern.
Chris Larabee : The leader of the Seven who protect the town.
Molly O'Rourke;
Bucks love interest and The only School teacher in town
Buck Wilmington: one of the Seven,
Buck loves women he was raised in a whore house. But he sees something
special in Molly.
Writers:
Linda writes for:
Vin,Josiah, and her own character's
Cheyanne,and Belle Chandler
Colleen writes for:
Nathan, Buck and her character's
Molly O'Rourke
Samatha writes for:
Chris, Ezra and her character's Emma
Clark, Lily Patterson nee Deveraux
The Story began...
Early morning¡
"Smells like rain." Vin Tanner commented to Chris Larabee as the two
peacekeepers settled into chairs outside the Four Corners jailhouse. It was
early morning and the growing frontier town was just beginning to come alive
The two men sipped their cups of strong coffee and watched as shopkeepers
emerged from their stores and began setting out barrels and boxes of wares
to lure citizens into their establishments.
Tantalizing aromas began to drift down to the two men from the hotel
restaurant and the kitchens of the new boarding house and bakery in town.
Before long either one of the other five men of the seven would arrive at
the jailhouse to relieve them from their posts or send a waitress down from
the restaurant with trays of food for them to enjoy.
Chris tilted his head back and squinted up at the brightening sky. "There's
not a cloud in the sky, Vin. You must be mistaken."
"There's three things a Texan knows well, Cowboy," Vin said grinning at
Larabee over the brim of his coffee cup, "How to love a woman; shoot a gun,
and decipher the weather. Mark my words, we'll see rain today."
"Awfully cocky aren't you?" Chris laughed as he took another sip of his
coffee.
"Not cocky, just speakin' the truth." Vin replied.
By noon the bright sunlight of the morning was chased away by tattered soot
colored clouds. A hard wind had swept up from out of nowhere, blowing things
about, slamming doors, and causing hats to leap off of their unsuspecting
owners as if they had wings of their own. The initial round of rain was
heralded by the townsfolk as a welcomed relief from the horrible heat and
drought the area had been under for several weeks, but it was slowly
becoming clear to all that this was more than a usual summer storm.
"Guess you were right about the rain." Chris said, holding onto the brim of
his hat as he and Vin left the jail and headed to the restaurant to grab
some food before they headed off to catch some shut eye. Buck Wilmington and
JD Dunne had taken over for them a few moments earlier.
Vin cast an appraising eye up at the darkening sky and frowned. "This is
turnin' into a humdinger of a storm¡I ain't likin' it Chris."
Something in the Texan's tone caused Larabee to abruptly stop and glance at
the sky too. A shudder of foreboding swept over him. "Yeah¡neither do I. As
soon as we're done eating, we'll rally the boys to go spread the word around
town for folks to hunker down in their homes and wait it out."
Vin nodded and the two men kept walking toward the restaurant.
Two o'clock set in with crackling arch of lightning, earth shattering boom
of rolling thunder and a torrential downpour. The dirt streets were quickly
turning into muddy pathways, gusty winds was throwing anything about that
wasn't nailed down, and several windows were shattered by flying debris.
Though he and the other peacekeepers had done their best to spread the word
for the citizens of Four Corners to take shelter from the turbulent weather,
none of them could have possibly been prepared for the disastrous storm that
would wreak havoc on their bustling frontier community. Only when the
heavens calmed, the winds died down, and the rains dried up, would survivors
emerge to survey the damage and begin to put together the pieces of their
shattered worlds.
* * *
Cheyenne huddled close to Josiah beside the large trunk of the big Elm tree
they sought refuge under when the storm struck with a vengeance before they
could find more suitable shelter. Josiah pulled Cheyenne's blanket further
up over her shoulders in an attempt to keep her more shielded from the cold
and the stinging rain. The blowing wind made it harder to stay protected
against the pelting downfall. The thunder roared and the flashes of bright
light could be seen across the darkened sky. Josiah became increasingly
aware of the darting light that cut through the blackness lighting up the
skies with every flash, ever watchful should it hit anywhere near them.
"God's wrath has no mercy on this day Annie, wish we'd a done like your
Grandfather wanted and stayed in the village one more day." He shouted over
the noise of the storm and pulled Cheyenne closer to him trying to keep her
warm and shield her with his body from the menacing weather. Cheyenne
nodded her agreement. Suddenly a loud boom echoed like the crash of a
cannonball. It shook the ground and lightning split the sky overhead. Josiah
jumped up from his spot, pulling Cheyenne with him. He practically threw
Cheyenne as far away as he
Could. "RUN!" he shouted.
Cheyenne stumbled, but quickly came to her senses and got up and ran. The
horses spooked and broke free of their ropes and ran from danger. Cheyenne
looked back and called out for Josiah but it was too late. The tree split in
two as the lightning cut through it like a knife through butter. It fell so
fast there was no time, Cheyenne heard Josiah urgently call out again to her
"Run Annie!!!!" just as she saw half the tree fall directly on top of him.
Cheyenne screamed and the branches from the tree slapped at her with the
force of a kicking mule knocking her to the muddy ground and burying her
beneath them.
Cheyenne woke dazed and unsure of how long she had been lying there. The
rain was still falling and the wind howled as it gust across the leaves of
the fallen tree, and she could hear the clapping thunder in the distance.
She called out for Josiah. When he did not immediately answer and come to
her rescue she started to panic, "Josiah!" she screamed, as blood trickled
down her cheek from the cut above her eye.
Struggling to free herself from the branches of the fallen tree she grimaced
with pain when she finally got to her feet and stood. Her left knee nearly
giving out on her as she tried to walk and blood ran from the gash on the
right side of it.
"Josiah?"she cried out again, fearfully sobbing as she scanned the area for
him. She saw him lying motionless partially hidden under the top branches
from the burned, split tree. She painfully limped over to him. Falling to
her knees next to him; a painful whimper escaped her and she sat on the wet
muddy ground taking the weight off of her injured knee. She lifted Josiah's
head and set it gently in her lap, brushing away the leaves and mud.
"Josiah?" she spoke softly as she shook his shoulder trying to wake him.
Josiah stirred and moaned against the surge of excruciating pain that swept
through him. His eyes fluttered open
"Annie" he spoke in a weak gravelly voice, "are, you..alright?
Every word that left his lips seemed to be a struggle. Cheyenne nodded "I am
alright" she lied.
"The hor.. horses" he asked,
"They spooked, broke their ropes, and ran" Cheyenne glanced looking around
in case she could see them nearby Josiah swallowed and tried to keep his
speech audible.
"You ..have to .. find them" he told her "Get back.. to town.. for help."
"No!" she abruptly blurted out "It will take too long, I will not leave you!
"You must!" he insisted.
"No!" Cheyenne argued. She carefully moved away from him gently lowering
Josiah's head to the ground putting his hat underneath him. The partial
tree limb was of course too heavy for her to lift alone. Try as she might,
she only succeeded in causing herself more pain. Despite Josiah's
objections Cheyenne was on a mission braving the still ravaging storm she
quickly she set about to finding the horses and saddles.
¡¤ * * *
Molly had seen her fair share of storms come up off the Atlantic and rumble
through the city of Baltimore but nothing she'd been through there came
close to matching the ferocity of this storm. The stage was still a couple
of hours from their destination, Four Corners, and there was absolutely no
place to take shelter. The land here was open, flat and until this storm
came through, arid and dry. The driver tried keeping the team going even
through the worst of it. Once the road turned to mud they were stuck, quite
literally.
"It'll pass on fast enough," one of the other passengers said out loud. He
had to shout to be heard over the sound of the wind and rain battering the
coach. Molly only nodded as she looked out the window trying to see past the
curtain of rain that obscured the world around them.
With the same speed that it came upon them, the storm stopped. The driver
appeared at the door and announced that the second driver had taken one of
the horses to ride ahead to Four Corners for help - the coach was completely
stuck and the road not fit for walking. Molly looked out and down at the
road. She desperately wanted to stand up and be out of the coach but the mud
looked like it'd be knee-high.
At the point where Molly thought she would truly lose her sanity the sound
of hoof beats could be heard coming toward them. Soon it was clear that help
had arrived. Two of the male passengers stepped out of the coach. It was
announced that the coach and the luggage would follow as soon as the coach
could be dug out from the mud. The passengers would ride with the men who'd
come from the town. The other two women passengers were lifted out of the
coach and Molly waited her turn. The man that appeared in the doorway looked
the picture of every western cowboy that Molly had seen in the newspapers
and books back east. Nearly as tall as the coach itself he was lean, dressed
in serviceable pants, shirt and jacket despite the heat that was creeping
back since the rain had cooled the temperatures down. A gun-belt hung low on
his hip. His hat was wide brimmed and he wore a faded red bandana around his
neck. A broad smile curved beneath a short trimmed mustache.
"Well hello there darlin'," he said touching the brim of his hat. "Let's get
you out of this road," Molly tipped her head in a quiet thank you and
reached for his hand. His much larger hand engulfed her small, gloved one.
Molly had been helped out of dozens of carriages in her time. But never did
the gentleman doing so invoke a strong sense of awareness this one did.
Ignoring the very inappropriate and hardly ladylike sense, Molly ducked her
head to clear her hat from the doorway and made a move to step as gracefully
as one could in mud that looked to threaten to engulf her entire foot. The
bottom third of the man¡¯s pants and boots were caked with it. As if sensing
what she was about to do both hands went to hold her upper arms, keeping her
from stepping down. Molly's hands gripped his shoulders.
"Now, now we don't want you gettin' those shoes or this pretty dress in the
mud," he said in the same jovial manner as his initial greeting but Molly
detected something else in his voice, something much more personal than
propriety would allow. She felt her body being shifted and then before a
proper protest could pass her lips she was in his arms and being carried
over the muddied road and toward a rather large looking saddled horse. He
carried her as if he carried women in this fashion every day. He set her on
her feet next to the horse.
"Now then that's better," he announced. "Buck Wilmington at your service,
Miss..." he prompted. Reflexively, Molly placed her right foot behind her
left before the one piece of advice, the one warning Dora told her to heed
above all others rang in her head.
Don't, under any set of circumstances, curtsey. To anyone at any time for
anything.
That movement, that deference to her betters had been drilled into her since
she'd been able to walk. It more than anything else could give her away. She
hadn't even made it to the town yet and already she was risking her future.
Almost too late she stopped herself causing her to lose her balance and
tumble into Mr. Wilmington. His hands reached to steady her and Molly
straightened herself as if nothing happened.
"O'Rourke," she responded to his question. "Molly O'Rourke. I'm to be the
new school teacher in Four Corners. Thank you for your kind assistance, Mr.
Wilmington."
"Kids in town are mighty excited to see you," he said. "But I'm afraid the
first day might have to be delayed a bit. Storm did a number on the town and
the church got damaged pretty badly." Molly watched him look toward the
horizon. She realized that late afternoon had turned into evening. Night had
come on fast since she'd reached the prairies of the west. "We should be
gettin' you to town," he said, mounting the horse. He reached a hand down to
her. It was then that she realized the other passengers were gone. She was
alone with Mr. Wilmington, the two drivers and two other men she didn't
recognize. She was clearly expected to allow him to lift her on the horse.
"I'm afraid you have me at a disadvantage, sir," Molly began. "I've never
been on horseback."
"Well they say there's a first time for everything," he winked at her, again
being much too forward. "Miss Molly it's gonna be dark soon and I'd like to
get you safely to town before that happens." With only sight hesitation,
Molly took his hand and was lifted with that same remarkable ease in front
of him. Both of her legs were off to the side and she had to lean into his
chest to keep from tumbling backwards. She tried to think if riding astride
would be less scandalous when the horse began to move.
Mr. Wilmington kept up a steady stream of conversation about the town and it
s residence. It was clear he had a great deal of affection for it and those
that resided in it. Molly forced herself to concentrate on his words rather
than the way it felt to be cradled next to him or the way he smelled like
the grasses of the prairies that surrounded them. Soon the outline of the
buildings of a town came into view. It was nearly full dark and Buck slowed
his pace as they reached the edge of town. The sounds of hammering and
breaking glass reached her ears. As they rode down the main street it was
clear the storms fury had hit the town hard. Despite the darkness people
were out with lanterns and torches working to secure damaged store fronts
and gather debris.
Mr. Wilmington rode up to a building marked that it was the sheriff's office
Several people approached them and Molly was lifted off the horse to the
ground. Mr. Wilmington dismounted as the others began telling him of people
hurt, buildings damaged and people missing. Molly got swept aside and
stepped out of the way onto a boardwalk. As she took in the scene in front
of her, one thing was clear even in the darkness of night, in the aftermath
of a destructive storm, she was a world away from the high society and
brownstones of Baltimore.
¡¤ * * *
Ezra Standish stepped off the walk into the alley. The pressure of the
building storm was heavy in the air. He could feel sweat seeping down the
back of his neck. Chris and Vin wanted word spread through town about the
storm. Ezra had already spread word in the saloon and now worked his over
to the boarding house. He caught sight of a familiar figure exiting the
front door of the clapboard building.
¡°Mrs. Clark.¡± Ezra called out to the young woman. She stopped shading her
eyes to see him. The wind which continued to grow picked up tendrils of her
blonde hair. ¡°A word, please.¡±
¡°Mr. Standish, if you¡¯ve come to enquire as to your vest, I¡¯ve not had a
chance to finish the repairs. In fact I was on my way to Mrs. Potter¡¯s for
some thread.¡± She moved to step past him but he caught her wrist with a
firm gentle hold.
¡°I am not here about my vest. Our illustrious tracker, Mr. Tanner, who has
spent more nights than not in the wilds, tells us that there is a storm
³¦´Ç³¾¾±²Ô²µ.¡±
.¡± He nodded his head toward the dark clouds gathering on the horizon. ¡°He
believes this storm to be particularly bad and we're asking citizens to seek
cover before it arrives.¡±
Part Two to follow
? ?
Linda
Linda Brown
