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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Silver Moon" data-source="post: 2101423" data-attributes="member: 8530">Chapter 101,  “Target and Riding Practice”, January 11th, 1882Sonoma goes over the maps with the clerk making sure that the land that they are looking for is what that will be outlined on the deed including as much of the water rights as possible.  As they are leaving the shop Sonoma turns to Mr. Winston "If you find that you need an assistant in the next few days please let me know. Your filing system is well thought out and I believe that it is doing what you need for it to do however you seem a little overwhelmed by the shear amount of work that you have at the moment.  If rumors hold true you are looking to be dealing with an expansion in people looking for land not just for mining but for farming also in the near future and I believe that this town will be growing by leaps and bounds I would be happy to clerk for you for a small fee at your convenience." Sonoma looks at both Nanuet and Kate " I didn't want to say anything before but the cave that Flint is staying in is perfect for a small herd of sheep in the back. I have been asked to negotiate with a wood elf family that has some land another person wants. They are sheep farmers and one of the things that I stipulated is that they be guaranteed sales for their crop. The person really wants the land, he agreed to ensure that but doesn't want the sheep. I should be able to coordinate our purchase with his deal and buy us a starter flock of good animals very cheaply. With plenty of grazing land and a cave we can begin farming and still be on the lookout for unbranded calves as the cattlemen start driving. We can also enact a crossing fee for the first year to the water. We can take payment in cattle. We have the time and patience. All we need is mud and straw and we have adobe brick. we should be all set to become farmers.” "You've been busy, haven't you Sonoma?" Kate laughed. "I'm afraid we're going to depend on you a great deal while we learn what we're doing. If you both don't mind, I'd like to go make the deposit right away. I'm going out to Flint's with Jake this morning, and I can fill him in on everything, but I'd like to have it all settled before I leave."  The three returned to the El Parador and collected their money. A few minutes later they were arriving at the Promise City National Bank making a sizable deposit into the Arizona Territory's account.  Afterwards Kate returned to the Cantina, changed into her riding clothes, and went downstairs to wait for Jake. Manuel walks into the main room and heads to the table where Kate is sitting " So my little bird has decided to create her own nest and take my granddaughter under her wing at the same time"She replies, "Word travels fast. I would say rather Sonoma is taking us under her wing. This is what Tom and I wanted, and if I can't..... Well, I can still have a place to raise horses on someday." Kate dropped her voice, remembering what Conrad Booth had said. "But you needn't worry. It will be a long while before we leave the El Parador, if we do at all."   He interjects, “My great-granddaughter is much like her mother no? this will always be your home for as long as you wish it and I will be here for a long time to come yet so tell me your plans little bird what are your dreams?”Kate's eyes went distant. "I don't know. I stopped dreaming for a while. But I think ranching will be good for me. The smell of hay and horses keeps him close to me in a way that doesn't make me want to hide myself away.   And I will keep learning, of course. My mind seems to be waking up. It wants sustenance."  He answers, “Because you are ready and because you choose to continue.  There are many things I can teach you that will help you both to build your dream and start to live again.  As time goes on we lose those we love but need to continue until our time has past you still have much to your future my little bird it is time that you begin living life again and start dreaming again.”"It's odd. He's been gone only three months, but it's been six since I saw him last, and six more since he was in any kind of real health. Sometimes I feel as if I've been a widow much longer, and sometimes as if it happened yesterday.  But I will continue on, and I will keep learning. And I will see you this afternoon. There are some things we should discuss, but this is not the place. Oh, and we have an important visitor today, don't we?"   They talked for a few more minutes as Mr. Gonzales had his breakfast and then he went back up to his room. Kate again settled in to wait for Jake. It was getting late, and she hoped he would be down soon.The visit to the land office was a bit overwhelming for Nanuet. Dealing with money and owning land was a foreign concept for him. Once again Sonoma showed that she is full of surprises handling herself very well and showing her unlimited potential and knowledge in many areas. "She would make an excellent wife" he thinks to himself, "but may not want to settle down. Although she was talking about getting her own land and building a home."  Thought swirled through Nanuet's head and he tried to take stock of everything going on right now.Sonoma scurries from the kitchen with a platter of food for her great grandfather and places a large plate of finger foods before Nanuet as she sits down at the table with him  "Are you ok with the way the land deal went? I know you told me to go ahead but it is your money and I don't want you to feel trapped into something you don't want to do. I just though that by having you as an owner of the ranch we can ensure that the total place is safe from Indians as you have a very good relationship with the local tribe. By having Kate as the visual front of the ranch we should not have as many problems from the humans and I think I can deal with the other peoples that are around. it should also be a good place for your wolf she will be well fed and safe from hunters looking for wolf fur to send back east.  But if I went to far or did something your not comfortable with please tell me I don't want you disappointed in what I did.” As Sonoma begins talking Nanuet is shaken from his thoughts. He listens to her talk but can't help but to let his eyes wander over her.  "Sonoma, slow down. Slow down." He stands up and grabs both of her hands tightly in his, pulls her up from her chair and looks into her eyes. "I am very pleased with what has happened. I am even more pleased that you have joined us in this deal. I have not been settled into anything in a long time and the last few days have been very busy. It seems I have so much to do, but I never want to leave your side. Also, it has been dangerous around here, being shot at twice in the same day, people starting fires, and I am sure there are many things I have missed." He takes a deep breath then continues. "This is a big step in life for all of us. I didn't have the intentions of settling down here when I came to this town. I have met some companions and now you and everything is going so fast. Sonoma, I think" he stammers "uh, I think I had better go take care of some things." Nanuet is blushing and stuttering now. "I need to get some supplies for the Apache and some things for myself as well. I want to meet you for a private conversation later, maybe before or after dinner or your work at the Lone Star. I plan on going to visit the Apache tomorrow if things work out, I would like you to come with me if you are able." With that Nanuet grabs some food from the platter that Sonoma brought out and then turns to leave. He stops, turns back around and reaches for Sonoma again, pulls her close to him and then kisses her before rushing out the door. Jake eventually gets out of bed and wanders downstairs to get a quick breakfast. He is given the note from Nanuet, read's it and scribbles on it leaving it for him. He heads back up stairs to get ready to go out with Katherine.Sonoma stands speechless and frozen in the middle of the room watching as Nanuet bolts from the cantina she hears her great-grandfather chuckling as he climbs the stairs to his room. As she looks at the mostly empty plate on the table a smile begins to creep across her face which is turning a deep crimson. she gathers the dirty dishes from the table and heads for the kitchen.Jake gathers his pile of weapons, extra ammo, and his torn clothing that both he and Ruby have accumulated. He leaves the leather duster folded up for Ruby. He acquires from Dorita some lunch to travel and goes looking for Katherine.  "You look lovely this morning." Jake greets her in the main room of the Cantina. "I have some lunch packed. And I have all the guns and ammo we'll likely need, though you should bring your own guns. I'm ready when you are." “Smart man, complementing an armed woman early in the morning; but I look like I do any other day we go out riding,” She pushed her dark braid back behind her shoulder. “I have Tom’s pistol and the Derringer. I think I’m going to need a holster at some point though. The Derringer fits just fine here,” she patted her chest, “But having the pistol in my pocket is clumsy.” Jake follows her out to the horses. "I'm sure that is a lovely spot for the derringer, but a bad spot to draw it with nobody noticing. At least I would notice you putting your hand down the front of your dress." “If I need the derringer that badly, I’m not terribly concerned about who notices me pulling it out.” Jake climbs a tad clumsily into the saddle. "And you DO look lovely any day you go out riding." He kicks his horse mostly forward and manages to miss hitting his head on the way out. “We’ll need to see Flint while we’re out there, I need to let him know what I found out at the land office. What are these other resources you mentioned yesterday? The other things that came out of the caves?” Kate asked as they left Promise City. "Yes, that's what I meant." Jake gives her a friendly smile. "I know you think they don't belong to us. You have a big heart and want to help your friends and don't quite have all the money you'd like to do so. You need to make some priority decisions. In my experience sometimes doing the proper thing isn't the right thing." Jake shrugs his shoulders and doesn't pursue the matter further.  He meant the box of jewels. Jake didn't know that the owner would be here today. It was something he should have back; she had no right to pilfer it for herself. Kate had thought they had pulled something else out, something Jake hadn't told her about. She sighed quietly. The day is warming nicely, the sky is blue and the winds are mild. The ride out is leisurely, and Jake seems to take special pleasure in the low rolling landscape covered with scrub brush, low cactus, mesquite trees and the sporadic saguaro cactus in it's familiar man-waving form. Almost like he is seeing them for the first time.  Kate watched Jake as they rode out toward Flint’s ranch. His expression was one she hadn’t seen before. Relaxation. His eyes were always busy, pulling in and processing information, always looking for the next danger. “You should stop and look more often, there’s great deal of beauty to be seen if you stop searching for the ugly.” Jake nods and smiles back, holding back a snide remark. 'It's not the ugly I'm searching for' he thinks, 'If you lived like I live Katherine Kale perhaps you'd understand'.   “I've been watching you." Katherine raised her eyebrow at him. "Ride. I've been watching you ride." Gods she is sensitive, or at least pretends to be thinks Jake. "I can sit on a horse and get where I'm going, but I need to be able to really RIDE this thing. I'm a city boy at heart, and you didn't need to be able to gallop a horse, jump over prickly pear and shoot over your shoulder in downtown Philadelphia." He takes a cursory glance around them as they travel. "I've been trying some of the things you do, not very successfully. So show me what I’m doing wrong." “Well, first let me say I’m glad to not see spurs on you. And if I ever do, I’ll shoot you myself.” Kate laughed at the surprised look on Jake’s face. “Well, we both know I can’t hit but it would probably be a nervous day for you.”  “Now, riding isn’t a passive activity. You can’t just ‘sit on the horse and get where you’re going.’” She laughed. “You sir, bounce. There’s no avoiding going up and down when you ride, so you have to control it. You flex the muscles in your legs and rear and move yourself up and down with the rhythm of the horse.” They went through several different exercises until Jake sat more confidently in the saddle. “The horses training makes a big difference too. So we’ll have to train your mount while we train you.” For the next two hours she put him through galloping, trotting, running, and walking exercises until he and the horse had gotten to know each other. “It’s not good to work the horse for too long, we should switch for a while.” Jake’s carefree demeanor fades when they stop for weapons lessons. "There is a world of difference between target shooting and defending yourself with a gun. But the more you shoot your gun the less likely you'll mess up when defending yourself. Keep your weapons cleaned and oiled, many a body is in boot hill because their weapons jammed.”  “You’ll have to show me how to do that, I never learned. Of course, I never had occasion to.” Jake nodded and went on. “No fancy shooting, when you point your gun at a man it is because you intend to kill him. No trick shots, no taking out an arm or a leg, no trying to shoot their gun outta their hands. Aim at the torso, shoot to kill. That pistol of yours is double action, if you have the time on the first shot pull the hammer back first and steady the gun with both hands or lean it on something. The full trigger pull on a double action moves the weapon a bit in your hands. The most important part is how you move the trigger. You don't PULL the trigger that will jerk the gun in your hand. If you'll pardon the analogy, you squeeze the trigger like a lover." “I understand,” she nodded, and tried squeezing a couple times. “You know, a lover’s a lot more fun.” "I won't argue you that one."  Jake takes some of the old torn clothes and places them around a man shaped saguaro cactus. He shows her how to properly fire her pistol and derringer. There is an awkward moment when she is still holding the pistol incorrectly. Jake comes up behind her, stoops a bit and puts his arms around her correcting her grip. He feels her tense, but he just shakes her arms a bit and whispers 'loosen up' into her ear. When she has it right he removes his arms and says nothing more about it. He also has her fire the shotgun and rifle. He has her reload the weapons and fire them again and again. He practices with his Colt from the draw, alternating targets between a saguaro wearing a torn shirt and a small block of wood balance in mesquite branch. During lunch Jake says to her, "I know you don't like guns, and are having trouble with shooting a man. I hope it never is easy for you. But you MUST be as good as you can at it." “That’s why I asked you to show me, Jake. We didn’t have to be here very long before I realized then even if I minded my own business absolutely, chances are I would need to defend myself at some point. And we both know I can’t mind my own business.” Jake wisely chooses to shut his mouth. Kate hesitated a moment and looked at Jake. Just as she had in the rustler’s cave, she again decided to trust him. “Can I talk with you seriously for a minute?” He looks up from his lunch and looks her in the eyes. There is no expression on his face as he is quiet for a moment. "Sure." His eyes never waver from hers. “You and the others, we’ve only known one another for two weeks. But the woman you’ve met isn’t really me. She’s just a shadow. And she walks around wrapped in propriety and keeping as busy as she can to avoid falling apart completely.” "Nearly every incident that has made me upset was more about how it reminded me of..." She paused and took a breath. “Tom Whipple’s interest upset me not because he was looking, but because I believed he was a married man, and more so, because it made me think of MY Tom. Earlier when you were correcting my stance and I stiffened up…being touched by any man makes me think of him.” “Anyway, I just want you to know that I’m not a delicate little child shocked by everything she sees. I know prostitution, killing, lying, all sorts of things go on. And I’ve lied in my life, I’ve flirted and played and broken a heart or two. I’m not pretending I have the kind of experiences you and Ruby have. Just don’t assume from what you’ve seen in two weeks that I’m so proper you need to walk on eggshells, I just might surprise you.” “Sorry, I’ve just been beginning to feel trapped in this role with all of you. I don’t want you all to be shocked when you start to see the pieces of me you don’t expect,” she laughed. While Katherine talks Jake can't help marveling at the resemblance. He had put it aside before, but it is more than looks. "Like the swagger n' strut of the woman who was part of Deadeye's gang back in the cave?" A little bit of a smile sneaks on to his lips. "I can understand missing somebody." Jake looks out across the landscape to the mountains that rise up suddenly and starkly from the low rolling hills. "I think bits of Katherine stand out quite clearly from shadow. And by the number of people you seem to attract I mustn't be the only one who thinks so. " A small lizard climbs up on a nearby rock. Jake smoothly reaches down and picks up a small pebble and quickly throws it. It only misses by an inch but the creature is gone as soon as the pebble strikes. "I'm looking forward to meeting the rest of you." He laughs. Don't ask me why I feel so protective of you he thinks. “I attract people? I think you’re forgetting that Ruby is standing next to me most of the time." She paused and laughed. "Swagger. I rather enjoyed that, in a terrified kind of way." “Anyway, thanks for listening. Sometimes it’s nice to talk to someone who isn’t going to try to fix things, or make me feel better. Sometimes you just need to be able to say things to let them go.” She was quiet for a moment. “You know, sometimes you remind me of my brother Henry, he’s a smart-ass too,” she grinned.  Jake gets up and brushes the scraps of lunch of his legs. "I'd probably like him." He offers her a hand up. "Let's go."</blockquote>

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