BUTCH CARSON & THE SUNDANCE HOUSEKEEPER

BY CHELSIE FAN. JR., JR.

M/N: (That stands for Mother's Note.) This story was not written by me, chelsie fan. It was written by my middle daughter (whose name is NOT Edith). On the simultaneous occasions of her eighth grade graduation, fourteenth birthday, fanfiction debut, and "coming out," I give you … chelsie fan, jr., jr.

A/N: Howdy, cowgirls! (And cowboys, if there are any of you out there… I doubt it!) Chelsie fan, jr., jr., here. You can call me cfjj. This is the first installment of my Western… AU- as I'm told it's called. This was really just a silly little idea I had, but somehow my mom persuaded me to actually write it. So, here it is! Some of the events from the actual show will take place, and my story involves all the same characters, but the similarities end there. One big difference is that in my story, Sybil is still alive. (Matthew, however, was not so fortunate.) The story takes place in the Western USA in the 1920s. Hope you enjoy, and please, let me know what you think! Constructive criticism is welcome and appreciated!

Chapter 1: Grantham Ranch

The young, dappled colt looked at him with frightened eyes. Thomas spoke in hushed tones, "Come on, Yorkshire, you've gotta come back with us!" Thomas had been trying, in vain, to get the colt back to Grantham Ranch for hours. By now, the ranch foreman, Mr. Carson, as well as two other ranch hands, had come along to help with the stubborn animal. "Thomas, Jimmy, Alfred, let's go! It's almost time for the dinner bell!" Mr. Carson huffed. Jimmy and Alfred finally got their lassos around Yorkshire, and the foursome began the short ride back to the stables.

As soon as Yorkshire was back inside the fences, the ranch hands went back to work. Mr. Carson hurried to the main barnyard and sounded the dinner bell. Things were always done right at Grantham Ranch, and a stubborn colt wasn't going to change that. The ranch was founded in the 1800s, and ownership had been handed down for generations to the current owner, Lord Grantham, whom everyone knew as Robert Crawley. The ranch was especially prosperous during this time, as Mr. Crawley was exceptionally wealthy and had married into the rich American family of his wife, Cora Levinson. In addition, the ranch was run by its uptight foreman, Mr. Charles Carson, in partnership with housekeeper and supervisor, Mrs. Elsie Hughes.

The ranch was nestled in the small, sleepy town of Grantham City, Nevada. The outspoken mayor of the town, Violet Crawley, happened to be Robert's mother. Downton Ranch had a reputation of being one of the best-kept ranches in the Wild West. It wasn't until April of 1922 that this all changed.

Inside the main house at the ranch, dinner was well underway. But this wasn't just any dinner. The esteemed mayor of Grantham City, the Dowager Mayor, as she was called, had come for a visit. Mr. Carson himself was in the great dining room, supervising the staff, even though that was beyond his normal duties. "So…" began the Mayor, and all noise in the room hushed, "I believe I've been seeing that dreadful Sherriff Gillingham around much more often lately. Is that so, Mary?" All eyes turned toward Robert's eldest daughter.

"Oh please, Grandmama, he's hardly a worthy suitor," Mary replied.

"I think he's quite nice!" Edith, the middle daughter, interjected.

"Oh stop it, Edith. Ever since your editor friend disappeared, you've been trying to edge your way back into my life and I don't appreciate it," Mary snapped. Edith shrank back.

The mayor spoke up. "Please, Mary…It's not as if that Sheriff of yours is any Rudolph Valentino."

Robert spoke up from the end of the table in a valiant attempt to change the subject. "This stew is delicious, Carson! Wherever did we get it?"

The foreman replied, "Yes, we just found a new cook last week. She runs a food wagon just south of here; I believe it's called Chuck Wagon Patmore. Mrs. Hughes found it; she has quite the knack for spotting these things!"

"Ah, well, pass on our compliments!" said Robert.

"Certainly, m'lord," affirmed the foreman.

The rest of dinner crawled by rather slowly, with the family making small talk. Finally, Cora suggested, "Shall we go through?" The rest of the family nodded in agreement and stood up. The servants began to clear the table.

Meanwhile, in the yard, the ranch hands and maids gathered to exchange gossip while Mr. Carson was preoccupied with post-dinner events.

"Have you met the Dowager Mayor's new maid?" exclaimed Ivy. "She's so strange!"

"I hear she's from Gallifrey!" added Jimmy. "They do things much differently there."

"They must, and very differently too, I would think, with the way she does her hair!" Thomas snipped, making the maids giggle.

Alfred defended her, saying, "She seemed pleasant enough when I saw her in the saloon."

"They all do at first…" Thomas replied.

"All right, back to work, the lot of you!" cried a warm, yet commanding voice. Mrs. Hughes, the ranch's housekeeper and supervisor, shooed the young servants away. They scattered almost instantly. Mrs. Hughes walked into the barn, where the maid, Anna, was watching Mr. Bates nail in horseshoes.

"Hello there, Mrs. Hughes!" Anna greeted cheerily, "How did dinner with the mayor go?"

"Quite well, Anna, quite well. We almost made it through the meal without a remark," said the housekeeper dryly.

"That's great news! Well, we'll see you later!" Mr. Bates said as Mrs. Hughes moved on toward the hayloft. She had just made her way up the ladder and into the loft when a voice behind her made her jump.

"Hello there, Mrs. Hughes! I didn't expect to see you up here. Forgive me, but I didn't see you as a risk-taking kind of woman!"

"Oh, it's you, Mr. Carson! Actually, you'd be surprised. I quite like it up here, it helps me to clear my mind," said Mrs. Hughes.

She cleared her throat, "Erm…what are you doing up here, if you don't mind my asking?"

The foreman replied, "No, not at all, Mrs. Hughes, I'm just checking to make sure everything is in order. You know I'm a careful man."

"I do, all too well," she said.

Mr. Carson noticed with a fair bit of pleasure that Mr. Bates and Anna had moved on, leaving the two alone in the barn.

"It is nice up here, isn't it?" he said.

"Yes, it is," she said quietly, "even with the fowl smell from the henhouse." (See what I did there?) The two stood in a comfortable silence for a bit longer until they decided to head back to the house.

A/N: Well, how'd you like it? Too long, too short? Should I even keep writing? It is my first time, so forgive anything I might have gotten wrong. Please drop a review and let me know how I'm doing. Sorry for the terrible pun in there; I just had to. And for those of you who got the Doctor Who reference, good for you.