A few days later I received an unexpected telegraph.

Dearest Rosanna,

I am writing you very quickly to inform you that your Uncle is alive and recovering. Together we will be arriving to you soon. I sincerely hope that you have kept yourself safe and well. I am also looking forward to catching up with you and hopefully teaching you a few things about proper attire, hairstyles, etc. I know you desperately need a mentor in your unfortunate life. Thomas sends his care and thanks.

Affectionately,

Hannah D.

So my favorite uncle was alive and coming back, along with my least-favorite aunt. Hannah was an awful woman who hated my mother with a passion. My mother was not a real sister to my uncle. His family had taken her in as a young teenager when she left Ireland. When Thomas and Hannah married, she tried to convince my uncle not to let my mother attend the wedding. "An uneducated imp" is what Hannah called my mother. Hannah did not consider me to be real blood related family, although Thomas did love my mother as a sister. Mrs. Durant would be arriving soon, to my dismay, probably with her ever annoying manner, and more ridiculous dresses. I knew she would not approve of me, my tent, my job, or my hairstyle. I dreaded what was about to come.

I ran over to my uncle's office to make sure it was clean and not still covered in blood from his gunshot wound, it was clean, and Lily was leaving the office with a large newspaper in her arm. She smiled at me but I looked away. I felt guilty afterwards. After that I ran over to his car and made sure the bed was made and ready for his and his wife's arrival. I greeted them both as they arrived. Hannah gave me an uncomfortable kiss on either cheek like she was French and immediately looked me up and down as she shook her head. After getting settled in, and getting some medicine to Mr. Durant, Mrs. Durant whisked me away to get me "dressed" for dinner. To my horror she pulled out a corset with lots of lacings. Without asking permission she started putting it on me.

"Aunt Hannah, I uh.. I can't breath!" I choked.

"Il faut souffrir pour etre belle," she grinned, "you must suffer to be beautiful," she clarified. "Wait until you see the dress I have for you tomorrow night. Lily Bell and Mr. Bohannon will be joining us,"

I immediately thought of an excuse. "Oh uh, I can't tomorrow night, I'll be very busy… um… sewing,"

I knew she didn't believe me but she shrugged. "Very well, we will miss you,"

Mrs. Durant got me dressed in French fashion only for a dinner for me and her. My uncle didn't even join us. He was too sick to get out of bed. I excused myself early to leave.

"And where are you going?" Hannah asked.

"I have my own tent in town," I said quietly. I flew out the door before she could say anything nasty or judgmental. As soon as I got to my tent I took off the dress and folded it with the intent to give it back to Mrs. Durant.

The next morning I was informed that Mr. and Mrs. Durant had brought a cook with them from Chicago and I wouldn't be needed anymore. I was sad and relieved at the same time. I wasn't sure what to do with myself so I went back to sleep. I woke up in the early afternoon and headed to the horses to get May. I smiled at Elam Fergason as I walked past him, but he seemed too deep in thought to notice me.

I rode over to a secluded river bank to sit down and have lunch by myself. May grazed in the background while I relaxed in the cool air. Suddenly, a strange voice started speaking. I realized I had no gun, I didn't know how to use a gun, but that I should probably get one. Or a knife. Something.

"In my country, they believe a red haired goddess name Freya lives in Asguard, home of all the gods. She can cry tears of gold, and shake spring flowers out of her hair,"

I whirled around in a fright to see a very tall, lanky, bald man approaching me. It was Mr. Swede.

"Sometimes I wonder if you ride out here alone to shake flowers out of your hair," he continued.

I was speechless. We had never spoken before, and here he was telling me he knew that I rode out here all the time.

"Uh," I stuttered.

He took off his fur hat and politely stuck his hand out for a handshake.

"Oh, uh, Thor Gunderson. We haven't been properly introduced," he smiled warmly as I shook his bloodied hand timidly.

He was the strangest man I'd ever met. He had bruises, scars, and burns all over his body. He seemed to be out of his mind. Maybe he was in so much pain that he wasn't thinking clearly.

"Mr. Gunderson, we need to get you back to town to get you fixed up," I stuttered again, frightened

"That's where I'm headed Ms. Tyler. I just wanted to tell you that I'm sorry," he turned around and began walking.

"Sorry for what?" I shouted. But he didn't answer.

I decided not to return back into town that night. I didn't want to see my aunt or uncle or Lily or Mr. Bohannon. I made camp and tied May to a branch. As I sat staring at the crackling fire pit, I got lost in my thoughts again. There were so many strange people. Irish, black, white from the north, white from the south, people from places I had never heard of before. I didn't belong to anyone, I didn't want to belong to anyone and yet I did. I didn't want to hurt Mickey, or my uncle, and yet I felt hurt by people I hardly knew. I felt so out of place and thought about it for so long that my mind began to crumble. I became sad and scared to the point of crying. I began to sob and soak my blanket with tears. I fell asleep crying, and began to dream of myself crying golden tears with flowers in my hair.