April 17, 1899

Great Plains, West Elizabeth

It's been a whole week since I joined the gang. And I couldn't be happier with that decision. The last week I've been in this gang has been absolute bliss. I miss my family and friends back home. I also miss everything I had. But without any technology from the future, I feel at home. Like as If I don't feel like I need to know everything that's going on in the world. All I care about is the people I'm with and that's good enough for me.

The entire time I've been here, I've learned a lot. My first painful lesson was trying to break a wild horse. The first horse I caught was a beautiful black chestnut thoroughbred. He put up one hell of a fight. But after I caught my lasso around him and calmed him down, I jumped on his back. I ended up falling on either my ass or my back so many times I was about to give up. But eventually, I managed to break the horse and he's been mine ever since. I named him Widow-Maker, after the horse that belonged to Pecos Bill, a legendary figure in American history. Once I had Widow-Maker, I was able to join hunting trips and go anywhere I wanted.

Charles, Arthur and some of the others would usually go out hunting and they always asked me if I'd like to go with them. I enjoy going hunting with them. I feel so alive being one with nature. And we aren't hunting for sport. We hunt to survive, and no part of any animal gets wasted.

I remember my first hunting trip with Charles. We were over in the Great Plains and we saw a large herd of bison. In all my years, I've never seen anything like it. So many animals in one spot. And I felt very confident since we would be riding our horses as we hunted. It felt like being in the scene of Dances with Wolves. As we came close to the bison, I would aim for either their throats or heads, so that it would be a clean kill and the animals wouldn't suffer. Truth be told, I was nervous. I've never killed an animal before, but we needed food and I reminded myself that nothing would be wasted. And after I killed my first bison, I thanked the Lord for giving us this food and I thanked the spirit of the bison for its life and assured it that I would always thank every animal for what they will provide for us in every kill. Charles was very happy to see how much I loved and respected his culture. He said that I had a true warrior's spirit and the heart of a noble animal.

And because I brought a lot of pelts back whenever I went hunting, I was able to make my own satchels and my own tent. As much as I loved sleeping under the stars, I liked sleeping in a tent better. I also used the pelts and skins of animals to make things better for the rest of the gang. I helped the gang afford more money, so they could buy the supplies we needed and make things more comfortable for everyone.

Mr. Pearson and the ladies enjoyed my company. Mostly because I pitched in and help them more than most of the other members of the gang. I helped Mr. Pearson by bringing food whenever I could and did the dishes after everyone was finished eating. I helped the ladies by either helping them clean laundry or getting items for them. It also gave me an excuse to spend more time with Mary-Beth.

Arthur, John and a couple of the other guys would take me to go get some more target practice. With time and patience, I ended being good with any weapon. Aside from a bow, I was good with a Winchester repeater, a double barrel shotgun and I was a deadeye with revolvers.

And one thing I really enjoyed was going on fishing trips with either Javier, Dutch, Hosea or Arthur. It took me back to the days me and my dad would go fishing. Javier always gave me good fishing tips. One time, he even helped me catch a very large catfish.

If there was anything, I had difficulty with, it was always either poker or five finger fillet. I was still learning to keep a straight face whenever I had a good hand in poker. And the less said about five finger fillet, the less I'd have to explain my cuts on my fingers. I especially hated playing with Micah. Whenever he won anything, he'd brag about it like he just won the lottery. Besides, having a knife near him made it more tempting for me to want to kill him. So, I tried to avoid him whenever it was possible.

I also got along well with young Jack. I'd always tell him great stories. The stories he loved hearing the most about were the stories of Pecos Bill, Paul Bunyan, John Henry, Johnny Appleseed and Casie Jones. What really surprised me was that no one else in the gang had even heard of these men. So, I became something of a celebrity by telling these stories to anyone.

And I was very pleased that there were so many people who had a love for reading. Dutch, Mary-Beth, Jack, Arthur, Hosea, Lenny and even John I would find their noses stuck in a book. I had a long conversation with Dutch about one of my favorite books, Call of the Wild by Jack London. And I think that's because it reminded Dutch of his favorite author, Evelyn Miller.

Mary-Beth and I became closer when I told her that I had plans to become a novelist. We talked about romance books we enjoyed. One of my personal favorites was Pride Prejudge. Call me old fashioned but I really enjoy a story where love wins in the end. I also told her that when I write my book, I'm going to model a character after her. She blushed as red as a rose blossoming in the summer sun. She said that she'd like to return the favor if she ever wrote a book. I told her that I would be very honored.

I knew that if I was going to make some changes in this group, I would have to start small. And I thought one of the first things I should start with was the relationship between Dutch and Molly. Truth be told, I thought that they were good together but because Molly didn't do her fair share of work and didn't get along with anyone, no one really cared when she was killed. And I know Dutch was under a lot of stress on how things were going for the gang in the game, but because of that, he was ignoring her, and she was just trying to get his attention and that's what got her killed.

I decided that I was going to help her get Dutch's attention and help her get more respect and love in the gang. So, one day, I asked Molly if she would like to play a game of dominos with me. This how the conversation went:

"Hey Molly. How are you doing?"

"I've been better Thomas."

"What's wrong? You look so sad."

"It's Dutch. I don't think he loves me anymore."

"Now why on earth do you think that?"

"I see him talking to Mary-Beth these days."

"Oh, now I see. Molly, Dutch loves you. If he's talking to Mary-Beth, it's because he's teasing her since he knows that she and I have a thing for each other."

"Really?"

"Yeah. She's part of the reason I joined the gang. She saved my life and I saved hers. I've grown very fond of her."

She did look a little better but wasn't totally convinced. So that's when I decided to play a game with her and I made a bet with her.

"Tell you what? I've got a game for you that we can play, and I know how we can make it more interesting."

"Really? How?"

"How about a wager or a bet? If I win a game of dominos, then you must do everything I say for one whole day. If you win, then I'll be your personal servant for a day."

"Really?"

"Yep. Which means I'd do anything you'd tell me to do without complaining or arguing. But that also goes for you if I win. So how about it Miss O'Shea? Are you interested?"

"Mr Thomas White, you've got yourself a deal. But don't be surprised if I win. I'm very good at dominos."

"I'll believe it when I see it Miss O'Shea. Let's play."

So, we sat down and played a game of dominos. She wasn't kidding. She was very good. There were times that she came close to beating me but in the end, I won. She was disappointed that she lost but she kept her end of the bargain. I told her that I had something very special in store for her. That made her worried, but I told her it wouldn't be anything dangerous or humiliating. That made her feel better. Although I did tell her not to wear anything expensive for the next day because I didn't want her to lose anything valuable.

The next morning, I crawled out of my tent and after getting some coffee, I saw Molly wearing a plain looking dress. I thought to myself:

That's not exactly what I had in mind, but it will have to do.

So, after drinking my cup of coffee, I approached her and said:

"Are you ready for today?"

"No, but I always keep my word."

"Oh, don't worry. You and I are going to have a good time today. Trust me."

She nervously smiled and looked at me. I took her by the hand and took her towards Widow-Maker.

"Tell me Miss O'Shea, have you ever ridden on a horse before?"

"A long time ago I did. But I haven't in years. Truth be told, I'm afraid I'll fall and hurt myself."

"Well that won't happen if I'm right behind you."

"What?"

"You heard me. I'm going to let you take the reins and I'll be holding onto you. So that way, if anyone falls off, it'll be me."

"But won't you just drag me down with you if you fall?"

"Nope. Because I trust you Molly."

"Really?"

"Yeah. So today is the day you get to go wherever you want and I'll be along for the ride. What do you say?"

"You must either have a lot of faith in me or you have a death wish. But either way, I hope you can handle me behind the reins."

"I'm sure it's nothing I can't handle."

I helped her get on top of Widow-Maker and I let her get in front of me. I handed her the reins.

"Lead the way, Molly."

Molly gave Widow-Maker a good kick and he was off like a bolt of lightning. After we were a good distance away from the camp, she really got Widow-Maker running. She was laughing and enjoying herself. She loved feeling the wind in her hair and that she was in control. She had us running for so long, I thought Widow-Maker was going to buck us off. But fortunately for us all, she knew when she was pushing to hard. And eventually, we stopped at Owanjiila, a spot not too far away from Strawberry. It was looking a big lake, but it also was near a dam, so we were still close to civilization.

Once we reached the lake, I got off and helped her down.

"Thank you, Thomas."

"Don't mention it, Molly."

I lead Widow-Maker to the lake and he started to drink. I petted him and said:

"Good boy."

I also gave him a sugar cube for his hard work. He greatly appreciated that. Molly held him and thanked him for not bucking her off. So, we sat at the edge of the lake for awhile while Widow-Maker kept drinking. Poor fella. Molly must have really been too exciting for him to handle. Molly then asked me:

"So why did you decide to do this for me, Thomas? You could have told me to do anything that you wanted me to do but you decided to let me ride on your horse and took me here. Why?"

"Because I believe that you want people to love you and you want Dutch to notice you. So, I thought to myself that I could teach you a few things that think would not only get his attention but that he would want to spend more time with you. And now that I've seen what you're like behind the reins, he's going to have a real difficult time keeping Ip with you if he challenges you to a race."

"You really think so?"

"Yep. I know you grew up in a very comfortable lifestyle and it's hard to adapt to this new way of life, but Dutch wouldn't ask you to come with him if he didn't want you around. And I think the best way to get everyone to notice is to not do something rash but do small things. Those are what people like to see. Every little bit helps, and everyone will enjoy being around if you help."

"Do you really think that will get Dutch to notice me?"

"Oh yeah. And if there's something else that you would like to do, like say, go fishing or go do target practice, I know that Dutch would jump at the opportunity to do that with you."

"All right! I'll do that! Not only will Dutch notice me, but I'll be the kind of woman people would like to be around!"

"That's the spirit!"

She hugged me, and I blushed a little. There was just one last thing to take care of before we went back.

"There's one good thing about spring. It thaws out all of the ice that was covering the water."

I then gave Molly a good shove and she fell in the lake. As soon as her head breached the water and shouted at me:

"What the hell did you do that for?!"

"You've been moping too much! You needed to cool off!"

She swam to the edge. I held out my hand to help her out. As soon as she grabbed my hand, she pulled me in with all her strength and now I was the one that was soaked. She laughed very hard. I swam to the surface and said:

"Well played, Miss O'Shea. Well played."

I decided that it was time to get back. We both got on Widow-Maker and I let her lead the way home. Fortunately, she wasn't so rough on him this time. And we got back to camp before sunset. Everyone looked at us and Dutch asked what happened. I said to him:

"Molly here, decided to show her adventurous side and after riding a long way on Widow-Maker, she decided to push me in the lake."

Dutch looked completely speechless.

"Molly…. I had no Idea there was this side to you. I like it! But please come back inside our tent and we'll get you a change of clothes."

Molly blushed and nodded. I smiled and headed into my tent to change my clothes as well. As I was about to change my shirt, I heard a voice from the outside.

"Thomas?"

"Yes?"

"It's Mary-Beth. Can I come in?"

"Of course. Come on in."

She entered my tent and sat down on my makeshift bed. After I changed my shirt, I sat next to her and asked:

"So, what brings you into my tent?"

"I just wanted to know why you were with Molly all day. After everything that happened between us, I was worried that you didn't like me anymore."

"Oh, Mary-Beth."

I wrapped my arms around her and gave her a warm hug.

"There's nothing going on between me and Molly. I just took her out because I thought she could use a day to herself. And besides, I was giving her advice on how she and Dutch could connect more. You have nothing to fear Mary-Beth. You're the only girl for me."

"Really?"

I kissed her on the cheek and said:

"Really."

She smiled and hugged me back. I pet her hair while she was hugging me. I then took her hands and said:

"Mary-Beth, you never have to worry about me. I'm not going anywhere without you. I am with you. Forever. The end."

She smiled and had tears of joy on her face. I held her even closer. I then said to her:

"Come on. Let's go join the others."

She smiled and followed me. We joined the others around the campfire and ate dinner. We heard everyone talk about what happened with Molly and me. They couldn't believe how exciting she was to be around. I then heard Susan say:

"So, can I except you to help out every once in a while, from now on, Miss O'Shea?"

"You just might, Mrs. Grimshaw. You just might."

"That's very good to hear. I think we might get along with each other from now on."

She smiled and went back to eating. I smiled, knowing that I had made a difference for the group. Molly was now happy and was being loved by everyone. Now I would have to help the rest of the gang.