"Wake up, Miss Burke," Arthur said to Sam. "Wake up."
Sam rolled over in her sleep and brushed away at Arthur. "Mmm, just five more minutes, Mom..." she mumbled.
Arthur laughed and yanked on her leg making Sam yelp herself awake. "Time to go shootin', Miss Burke."
Sam rubbed her eyes and stared at Arthur with wide but barely alert eyes. "What time is it?"
"Seven A.M." Arthur held out a cup of coffee to her. "Come on, have a drink."
Sam grabbed the mug, smelled the smoke rising from it and smiled with her eyes shut. "Oh, Lord have mercy, that smells so good..."
Arthur chuckled and sat up straight. "I take it you'll be needing breakfast, too?"
"It wouldn't hurt," she said, taking a sip of coffee.
"Well come on then, lazy bones. Get up."
Sam grumbled and slowly got out of her little makeshift tent, standing up and cracking her neck. Arthur heard it and a shiver went down his spine. "Jesus, woman."
Sam laughed at him and took another sip. "Thanks for the coffee."
"You're welcome, now go get your breakfast before it's all gone."
Sam rushed towards Mr. Pearson's pot and Arthur watched her spoon up a bowl of stew. He smiled as he took a drink of his own coffee and chuckled as she sat herself down at a table with some of the girls. They immediately started chattering and laughing away and Arthur turned away to go get their horses ready. Once he had done that, Sam walked over and was ready to go. She and Arthur mounted up and headed out of camp.
"So where are we going?" Sam inquired lightly.
"There's a tree to the east with a bunch of bottles hangin' from it. We can start there."
"A tree with bottles, huh? Shouldn't I start with bottles that aren't moving?
"Oh, there's plenty of those too."
It didn't take long for the two to make it to the tree. Arthur watched as Sam stared wide eyed at the display of bottles hanging from the branches. "It's actually pretty, you know."
"I suppose it is." They both dismounted and Arthur held out his repeater. "So, should we get started?"
"Yes." Sam took the gun confidently and held it in her arms to examine it. "Oh boy, I hope this won't be too hard."
"Ah, you'll do fine as long as you know what you're doin'."
"Well," Sam held the gun up and aimed at one of the bottles on the boulder, "I really don't know what I'm doing."
Arthur inched up behind her. "Alright, just put your hand here, on the frame there," he said as Sam did as she was told, "to hold it up, put the butt in the meat of your shoulder, not the bone. Okay?"
Arthur studied her as she followed his directions. "Okay."
"Good, now, put your other hand by the trigger here, put your finger on the trigger...yeah, like that, good. Now aim down the sights, take your time, and-"
Sam pulled the trigger and stumbled without hitting a bottle. "God dammit!"
Arthur belted out with laughter. "I wasn't done yet. Try again, you silly woman."
Sam scowled playfully at him before resuming her former position. "Okay."
"Now don't shoot yet. Just...hold steady...and firm." He pointed at a red bottle. "Just focus on that one...breathe slowly, and always pull the trigger on empty lungs. Don't snatch at the trigger."
Sam shot again and she hit the rock. "Holy shit, I got close!"
Arthur smiled. "Better. Now remember to focus on the inhale, shoot on the exhale."
Sam took a few deep breaths before shooting. This time she shot a bottle and she groaned. "That wasn't the one I was aiming for..."
"But you still hit one. Here..." Arthur got up close behind her and instantly got hit with her natural scent of...something he couldn't identify, but Lord, if she didn't smell like perfection itself. He put his arms out to help steady her and he put his mouth close to her ear. "Focus on the inhale, shoot on the exhale...both eyes open, aim small, miss small...you got it?"
Arthur could feel her shudder and he smirked. Was he having some sort of an effect on her? Part of him certainly hoped so. "Aim small, miss small..." she whispered softly.
"Yes, that's right. Breathe..." Arthur felt her take a breath in. "...and release." He heard her breathe out and she took the shot.
"YEAH!" she yelled out. "I hit the right one!" She turned around and clung to Arthur in a big bear hug. "I did it!"
Arthur laughed as he wrapped his arms around her. "You sure did!"
Arthur felt an immense amount of pride so he spun her around as they both laughed. He set her down and she giggled while looking at him. The sparkle in her hazel eyes made his breath hitch. God, she was really a beautiful woman. He stared back into her eyes with a big smile and sighed. Sam stopped giggling and she cleared her throat. "Should I continue?"
"Hell yeah, go on!" Sam jumped up and down excitedly and he backed away laughing as she turned around and got back into her shooting stance. Soon she had shot every bottle off the rock one shot after the other and she squeaked happily. "You're a natural, Miss Burke! Now try for the swinging bottles."
Sam had a harder time with those and Arthur had to teach her how to reload the gun a few times, but she eventually got the hang of it and soon all the bottles were shot down. Sam was brimming with happiness at her ability to learn so quickly, and Arthur couldn't help but smile at her. The way her eyes lit up enchanted the hell out of him and he couldn't help but acknowledge it.
"I think I'm ready to take on some O'Driscolls now!" she barked happily.
Arthur cackled loudly and bent over at the waist. "Well, it's a bit different when they're shooting back at you, Miss Burke."
Sam tucked a strand of blonde hair behind her ear and sighed. "I suppose you're right. But anyway, all this shooting has gotten me hungry. Should I treat you to some deer, Mr. Morgan?"
He wasn't that hungry but with the happy look in her eyes, he dare not say no lest he make her sad. "Sure. You want to use the repeater?"
"No. I think I'll use the bow. It was really nice of Charles to let me keep it."
The two got on their horses and trotted off so that Sam could find some game. They didn't have to go very far as she spotted a few deer off in the distance to the north. She made quick work of killing one with her bow and as she went to skin it, Arthur went and got a fire going. After getting some meat, Sam went and cooked some for herself and Arthur. They both ate in comfortable silence, at least for a bit, until Arthur decided to break it.
"So, now that you know how to shoot, what's the next step in your plan for gettin' home?"
Sam paused as the look on her face showed her slight hesitation in answering the inquiry. Still, Arthur knew the woman was quick to come up with something, and so she did. "Next, I need to purchase a rifle."
"Okay?" The answer had been a bit more defensive than he had hoped, but he could work with it. "Well, do you have enough for one?"
"I believe so. I've been really hustling to make end's meat."
"So I've noticed."
Sam made a face of amused playfulness as she smirked at him. "Yes, and I've noticed that you've noticed."
Arthur merely smirked right back at her. "Oh, have you now?"
"Yes. Still wondering if I'm an O'Driscoll, I'm assuming?"
"No, I reckon that ship has sailed."
"Good. Guess that means no more lassoing me."
Arthur let out a hard laugh. "Yep."
Sam took a bite out of venison and shrugged. "Shame. I kinda enjoy being tied up." A deep blush formed on Sam's cheeks and she covered her mouth. "Oh Jesus Christ, forget I even said that!"
Arthur's face became full of puzzlement. "Why? Why do you like bein' tied up?"
"Just...it's nothing!"
Arthur laughed and leaned in. "Come on, I wanna know."
"Just forget it, please!"
Arthur frowned at her. Now he was really curious, but he decided not to press the issue. "Alright, I'm sorry."
"I-it's fine," she stuttered. They finished their meal without speaking and then Sam stood up, brushing her hands together as if to wipe away crumbs. "Alright, you ready to head back or...?"
"Sure."
Arthur and her disassembled their little camp, put things away, then ascended themselves on their horses. The ride back was quiet and anyyine Arthur tried to initiate conversation, Sam seemed to avoid it. As they made their way back into camp, Sam quickly walked away, but then she walked back to him, fiddling with her fingers.
"Thank you for teaching me how to shoot, Mr. Morgan," she said instantly with her gaze averted to the ground.
Arthur could see her cheeks were still red, but he wondered if that was from embarassment or the sun. "Miss Burke, did I upset you somehow? If I did, I-"
"No!" Sam cut him off almost aggressively, then she sighed and closed her eyes. "I mean no. Sorry, no. You didn't do anything wrong. I just...I...oh, fucking hell," she growled before walking off.
Arthur walked after her. "Wait a second, Miss Burke. What's wrong?"
Sam halted with her hands to her hips, then she threw them up and turned to look at him. "Please, I...I don't want to talk about it," she said before hurrying to her tent.
Arthur just stood their in confusion, wondering about her strange behavior. Karen walked up to him with a grin on her face. "So, where did you two run off to?"
Arthur grasped his belt buckle, an almost unconscious action for him to do. "I taught her how to shoot a gun."
"Oh yeah? Anything else?"
"We had lunch. Why?"
"She seems upset over somethin'. What did you do now?"
Arthur shrugged. "I ain't got a clue, Karen. She saud somethin' funny then she stopped bein' friendly and wouldn't explain."
"What'd she say?"
"Somethin' about likin' bein' tied up."
Karen burst into hysterics and almost fell over. "Ha! That's funny!"
"I know, but why was she embarassed?"
Karen regained her composure and shook her head. "Some women like that durin' sex, Arthur."
Arthur's eyes almost bugged out. "Really? Why?"
"Hell if I know. Maybe you should try it on her."
"Oh shut up, Karen," Arthur said, almost blushing himself. His eyes scanned over at Sam's tent but there was no sign of movement. Had she been flirting with him when she said that? No, she couldn't have. Why would she flirt with him? Arthur shook his head at the thought.
Sam held her legs to her chest with her chin on her knees. Why, oh why, did she say that thing to Arthur? Why did she flirt? They weren't even on a first name basis. Well, they kinda were, but only in moments if crisis, really. Sam chuckled to herself over her stupidity. She needed to get out, so she leaned over and lifted the flaps to her very small tent. No sign of Arthur. Sam scurried out quickly and headed on over to her horse. She climbed on and trotted out of camp. Perhaps she could go buy her rifle now and go for a drink or two afterwards, maybe some shopping fir clothes, so she hurried out of camp towards Valentine, still trying to shake her thoughts about Arthur. She was...starting to like him, but she knew she shouldn't. Why start something when she had to get back home to her time?
Her thoughts were still clouded with Arthur when she reached the gun store. She headed in and the clerk gave her a broad smile. "Hello, how can I help you today?"
Sam shut the door behind her. "I'm here to purchase a rifle, sir. None that can take down big game."
A raised brow was the man's first response. "A hunter, huh? That's unusual for a woman."
Sam only shrugged at him. "I need money and hunting is an honest way of living."
"Well, sure. I think I got just the thing for you." The clerk turned around a grabbed a rifle, then he showed it to her. "This here is the Lancaster Springfield, and it's a military favorite. High accuracy and powerful enough to take down some big game, but a low reload rate so I don't recommend using it for close quarters. Not that you would need to, I'm assuming."
Sam shook her head as she held the gun. "Naw, I don't plan on joining the military anytime soon," she joked.
The clerk laughed at that. "Of course. So, what do you think?"
Sam acted as if she was checking the weight, not sure if it was too heavy or not. She checked the sights, again, not sure how to check if it was good or not. Finally she decided. "Oh, what the hell...I'll take it."
"Excellent. That'll be a hundred twenty five dollars."
Sam's eyes went wide. That was a pretty expensive rifle, but well, what did she expect? She fished over the money and asked for some ammo, which was considerably cheaper. After going through with her purchase, Sam thanked the man and walked out of the store. She ambled on over to the general store where she knew some clothes would be. However, the dresses she attempted to try on didn't exactly fit her tall frame, so she opted for men's clothes. Sam bought herself a white button down shirt and black trousers, as well as some black suspenders and some western style boots. They fit comfortably. Hmm, perhaps a hat would do nicely, too. As she was browsing for one, she heard the door open and she looked to see Uncle and Arthur walk in. Uh oh. She was not prepared to face Arthur right now, but what else could she do?
"Oh, hello Uncle. Hello, Mr. Morgan. What brings you here?"
"Oh, just a drop of whiskey, to start. Sonethin' to pass the time while we're waitin' on the women," Uncle replied.
"Oh. The girls are here?"
"Yes."
"Ah, well..." she said. Arthur and her locked eyes and she quickly looked somewhere else. "And you, Mr. Morgan?"
"Just here for no reason, really," he answered quietly. "I uh, see you got your rifle. And some new clothes."
"Oh, yeah. The dresses didn't fit me. I'm too tall, so...men's clothes it is."
The cashier laughed a little. "Well, I think it's very progressive, Miss Burke."
Sam smiled at the man. "Thank you."
Arthur cleared his throat as he walked to her. "So, you tryin' on hats?"
"Yeah, I figured I might as well get one to block out the sun. It's not like I can use sunscreen."
"What's sunscreen?"
"Oh. Um...just a Minnesota thing. Helps to keep your skin from burning to a crisp."
"Oh. Never heard of it."
"No, I suspect no one around here has." Arthur gave her a suspicious look. "What?"
"Nothin'...just...I dunno, you seem to know about a lot of things that other people don't."
Sam squinted her eyes at him. "Is it a crime to be knowledgeable?"
"No, not at all. I was only makin' an observation."
"Hmm." Sam went back to looking at hats.
"You're lookin' a bit tired there, Arthur," Uncle commented. "Why don't you pick up some coffee while we're here?"
Sam tried on something called a "big valley" hat. She looked at herself in the mirror, then she glanced at Arthur. "Mr. Morgan, what do you think of this hat?"
Arthur eyed her with a small smile. "Looks good on you."
Sam nodded in approval and bought the hat. "Okay, if you're done, I'll be outside. I won't be too long," Uncle said as he left.
Arthur and Sam looked at each other. "Well, I guess I'm done here too. You headin' back to camp?"
"Well, I was gonna go to the saloon for a bit, actually."
"Oh. Well, maybe I'll see you in there later."
"Okay."
Sam quickly walked out of the store to see Uncle sitting on a bench outside. "Miss Burke, why don't you join me for a spell while we wait for the girls?"
Uncle waved the bottle of whiskey at her and she shrugged. She wasn't about to turn down free alcohol. Sam sat down next to him and took a swig. She shuddered a little and passed it back to him. It was at that point that Arthur came out and sat down next to Sam. "I thought you was goin' to the saloon?"
Sam pointed at the whiskey bottle. "Free whiskey."
Arthur laughed and inclined his head. "Fair enough."
Uncle handed the whiskey to Arthur. "Here's to your good health, sir." Arthur took it as Uncle chuckled. "It's a funny world. This time in my career, I pictured myself bein' married to an heiress."
Sam laughed loudly at that. "An heiress, huh? Man, you got some high standards, don't you?"
Uncle and Arthur laughed. "Yes ma'am, I do."
