Welcome to our new story! We got the most votes for this story, so we hope you enjoy it! This one will be about 15 chapters and we will post every Wednesday as usual. Please let us know in a review what you think! - A and K
Warnings: cussing, some violence (but it won't be that bad,) sexual situations (not as many as WITF though lol we will give more warnings as the time comes)
The wind coming off the mountain made Blaine shiver. He grabbed his jacket and held it closer to his chest. The honeyed scent from the chokecherry trees was strong in the air. Squeaking and groaning in protest, the stage coach rattled away on the uneven ground, jostling the four people inside. Blaine sat across from a man who seemed to have no respect for enclosed spaces since he stunk of manure and a older woman who seemed to have a bad case of arthritis. That was his medical opinion, though he had to remind himself multiple times he wasn't a doctor. Yet. He spent many years watching his father tend to the sick and wounded and developed a strong duty to follow in his footsteps.
"I have to say, this is much worse than the train."
Pamela Anderson put a handkerchief up to her mouth to stifle the overwhelming stench from the man sharing their stage coach.
"Yes mother, but it does have its... charms. I guess." Blaine battled the acid in his stomach. He hadn't wanted to move all the way across the country, but his mother insisted that with his father gone it was best to move where they had family.
Cooper Anderson had moved out west to join a traveling show and settled in Lewistown, Montana. His letter said he was the sheriff, but Blaine didn't believe it. His brother? Enforcing the law? No way would Cooper give up the chance to be in the spotlight. His father always said that Cooper would sooner become a mime than give it up. Blaine's gut twisted when he thought of his father. Jonathan Anderson. He was Blaine's hero. He was always there with a hug or a kind word. Whereas his mother was methodical and limited with physical touch, his father was limitless. His mother cared for her children, Blaine knew that, but sometimes he needed that touch of reassurance. He looked into the distance and saw the signs of a town. He sighed and sat back into his seat.
"Looks like we will be there within the hour," Pamela nodded. Blaine would be glad to get off this coach.
An hour later, they pulled to a halt. Blaine stood to open the door for his mother as dust from the road billowed around them. The nosy townsfolk had gathered around the stage coach, eyeing them curiously. Before he stepped down and held out a hand for his mother to take, Blaine tried to smooth out the travel-born wrinkles of his waistcoat. Soon it would be too small. While he was glad he was growing a bit, Blaine was worried how they would afford to replace his clothes. His mother stepped down onto the dirt road that ran through the middle of the town. Blaine let his eyes take in everything within sight. It wasn't as shabby as he was thinking it would be. Maybe this move wouldn't be so bad. His eyes swept the layout of the town.
Until they fell on him.
A boy that looked to be the same age as him. He was hammering a piece of iron in what looked to be the blacksmith stall. The boy was tall and had beautiful waves of chestnut hair. His eyes looked like the ocean right after a storm. Blaine blushed slightly. It had been awhile since he had seen someone so beautiful. It was no secret to himself that he was attracted to the same sex. He had known it since he was twelve and had a crush on the boy who worked in the stables.
"There they are!" A voice broke him out of his thoughts. "My beautiful mother and adorable baby brother!"
"Hello, Cooper." Blaine went to accept the hug that Cooper presented him with.
"So nice to see you, Cooper!" Their mother reached out and grabbed Cooper's arm in a loving gesture. They hardly ever got hugs from their mother. She just wasn't a tactile person. When they had the funeral for their dad, all she could offer Blaine was a firm pat on the back. She was the exact opposite of their father, who was always ready with a hug or an affectionate squeeze of the shoulder. He was the one whose shoulder you cried on. His mom was the one who helped you solve your problem practically. Cooper smiled widely at the two of them.
"I am so pleased that you both are here!" Cooper grabbed their arms and led them to a small building marked "Sheriff's Office" in a crudely made sign. When they entered, they found a small jail cell in one corner and a desk in the opposite corner of the room. It was small and a bit dusty, but looked well-kept otherwise.
"Nice place, Cooper." Blaine studied the books on the desk as his mother looked toward the cell with disgust.
"Do you really sleep in here with the convicts?"
Cooper laughed, his bright blue eyes sparkling with mirth. (Blaine had always been a bit jealous of his brother's eyes, not that he would ever admit it. Why did he have to get the muddy-colored ones?)
"No, mother. I live in a small cottage near town. I don't like being too far away from people that need me." He looked towards his younger brother. "Interested in law?" Blaine's eyes shot up.
"What? No. I was just interested to see what books finally got your attention, brother."
Cooper laughed as he pulled Blaine into a head lock. Blaine hated when his brother acted as though they were still kids, but he loved finally seeing him as well and as much as he hated this, he somewhat missed it too.
"Well, you two want to see your new home?"
Their mother smiled and walked swiftly out of the room. Blaine walked out into the fresh air and tried to catch another glimpse of the boy in the blacksmith stall. But alas, he wasn't there anymore. In his place was a tall sturdy man in a hat and a frown on his face. Blaine wondered if he was the blacksmith and the boy was his apprentice. Cooper interrupted his thoughts once again by pushing them towards a carriage.
They traveled for what seemed like hours, but in reality was probably more like thirty minutes. Blaine blamed being cooped up in the stage coach all day.
Cooper's small carriage rolled to a stop by a little house in a clearing. Cooper hopped down from the carriage as Blaine made his way down carefully. Hugging the side of the wheel and planting his foot down on the ground, he went to do the same with the other foot, but ended up slipping and falling in the dirt. Cooper was bent over laughing while their mother was asking after him.
"Blaine! Are you okay? Oh Cooper, please do stop laughing!"
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. That was just too funny." He went to help his brother off the ground.
"Thanks a lot you jacka-"
"Blaine Devon!" Blaine winced at his mothers use of his middle name. After helping their mother out of the wagon, they made their way into the small home. The inside was bare, aside from a rocking chair and stove. The living room had four windows, two angled to catch the morning light and two to let in the afternoon light. The kitchen, which was right off the living room, had the stove in the corner and counter top beside it. There was a small hall going down passed the living room which gave way to two bedrooms.
"Very, charming..." Blaine always tried to see the bright side, but this house made it difficult. It wasn't as nice as their old house, smaller and more simple. But mostly it wasn't home. Home was in New York, sold to new owners.
"We shall need furnishings." His mother looked around the small house.
"Yes, it was abandoned by the widow Smith several years ago. She headed in search of gold, the crazy old woman. She said that she couldn't leave her belongings cause they would be stolen by hobgoblins."
Blaine looked puzzled. "Hobgoblins?"
"She wasn't in her right mind, Blainers."
Blaine hated that nickname. He was starting to remember why he wasn't so sad when Cooper left.
"Well, we shall make the most of it." Their mother turned to them. "We will be receiving furniture from the New York house any day now."
Cooper smiled at them both. "I am so very happy you are both here!"
His mother smiled back at her eldest son. "Drive us back into town please, we shall need our own horse and wagon." Cooper nodded and led the way to the wagon.
Once in town, they dismounted and Blaine managed to not fall.
"Blaine, fetch us a horse." His mother placed a sack of coins in his hand.
"Don't you wish to help pick one out, mother?"
"No, I know nothing of horses, that was your father's hobby. I trust your judgement."
Blaine did know a fair bit about horses. He and his father would spend hours in the country riding and laughing together. Thinking of his father sent a sting through his heart. The wound would begin to close up and just the mention of his father ripped it back open. He wished his mother wouldn't talk about him.
"Very well, I shall pick out the best." His mother nodded as she went towards the General Store. Blaine scanned the street and thought about the best place to look for a horse for sale.
"The blacksmith with have horses, brother."
Blaine looked over at Cooper. "Really? The blacksmith?" He tried to hide the excitement in his voice.
"Yes, the blacksmith. Never heard someone so excited to be going to see Mr. Hummel," Cooper laughed. Apparently he had not hid his excitement as well as he thought.
"Well, I shall be on my way then."
Blaine approached the blacksmith stall with the hope of seeing the beautiful boy with stormy eyes again, but he was met with the frowning burly man with a flat cap standing with his arms crossed.
"Oh. Hello, my name is Blaine Anderson. I'm here for a horse."
"Hummel." He stuck out a calloused hand. "I got a Paint and a Brown." He jerked his chin at the small corral. When he turned, Blaine scanned the back of the stall for the gorgeous boy, but didn't see him. He tried to banish the disappointment from his face when Mr. Hummel turned back around and cleared his throat. Blaine looked sheepishly back at the corral.
"Right." He made his way over to the painted horse. He checked his teeth first. They were in pretty good shape. He then checked the legs. All in working order. He turned to the brown and checked his teeth. Rotten. He turned back to the paint and checked one last thing. He laid his head on the horse's side and listened to its heart. His father always said you can tell a lot about a horse by listening to its heart beat. Blaine smiled. It was strong. He turned back to the man who was smirking at him. He pointed to the horse. "I'll take the paint." Mr. Hummel turned to grab a saddle, bridle, and the rest of the tack needed before handing them over to Blaine.
"That will be sixty-five dollars." Blaine carefully counted out the money and handed it to the man.
"Thank you for your service, sir."
"Hummel. The name's Hummel."
"Ah, yes. Mr. Hummel." Blaine tipped his hat and lead the horse toward the sheriff's office. Cooper was sat in a chair at the front of the building, strumming a guitar. "Do you actually know how to play that thing?"
Cooper looked up at his brother. "No, but it makes me look cool, right?"
Blaine shook his head. "Is there anywhere I could grab a refreshment?" he asked.
Cooper continued strumming the wooden instrument idly and without looking up, answered his brother. "The girl's cafe is down the road there. Run by Miss Santana and Miss Brittany. Can't miss it."
Blaine made his way down the road and quickly found the large cafe under an awning. It was a very rustic setup with a stove and counter on the side and several tables circled by mismatched chairs scattered around. Blaine went and sat at one of the tables. A blonde girl holding a basket full of purple berries came up to him and smiled.
"Are you a dolphin?"
Blaine was taken aback by this young woman. She didn't seem to be joking with him, but Blaine wasn't the best at picking up humor sometimes.
"A dolphin? I am not a sea mammal, if that's what you're asking."
Her smiled turned into a frown. "I thought we would finally have another dolphin in town. Want a berry?" She lifted her basket.
"Umm, sure." Just as Blaine was about to take one, a shout from the side of them stopped him in his tracks.
"Stop! Don't eat those!" A dark haired woman came out of nowhere and snatched the basket from the blonde. "I told you not to pick the purple ones! Those are poisonous!"
Blaine quickly threw the berry he was holding to the ground with a gasp.
"Oh. I think I remember you saying something like that," the blonde pondered. The black haired woman just shook her head until her eyes landed on Blaine.
"Who are you?"
Blaine looked at her with astonishment. "I'm a customer that nearly got poisoned!"
She waved her hand at him. "Nearly being the operative word here. You're fine."
Blaine looked between the two women. "What kind of establishment are you running?"
The blonde opened her mouth to answer, but the other stopped her.
"I got this, Brit." The woman pulled down her blouse a little and leaned into Blaine's space. "I'm sorry, sir. Please let us serve you." She batted her eyes a few times.
"I just want a non-poisoned refreshment," he said as he pulled back from her slightly and the woman leaned back slowly with a puzzled expression.
"Got it." She went over to the small counter where a pitcher stood. She poured him a cup of tea and headed back to the table. "On the house. For the nearly poisoning."
"Thanks." Blaine sipped his drink as the women sat at the table with him.
"So. New in town? I'm Santana, by the way, and this is Brittany."
Blaine looked them over. "Yes, I'm new to the town. My name's Blaine Anderson." Santana looked him up and down in a way that made Blaine want to squirm. She had dark, calculating eyes and a fierce look that could make you want to apologise just for being alive.
"So you're the newbies. Didn't think anyone actually came out here 'cause they wanted too."
"Well my brother's the sheriff so-"
"Cooper? Wheat-for-brains is your brother?"
Blaine nodded and tried very hard not to laugh at the name.
"Yes, he is," Blaine confirmed. Santana leaned back in her chair, an odd smile on her lips. "Why do you say people wouldn't want to come here?" he questioned. "It's a nice town so far with a beautiful backdrop. You came here"
"I didn't come here voluntarily. I came 'cause Sue made us. Me and Brit were saloon girls. Until we got out."
Blaine looked a little confused. "Saloon girls?"
"Yeah, at night the saloon turns into a brothel."
Blaine flinched at the thought. Women forced to use their bodies in such a way. Something seemed to click with Santana.
"Oh, I get it now. You're one of those bohemians."
Blaine had heard that term before. Used to mark the ones who preferred men in New York. "I don't know what you're talking about," he flustered out.
She smiled like a devil. "No, you're definitely one. Oh boy, you could not have come to a more repressed, bible thumping town."
Blaine was at a loss for words. Was he that obvious? Could everybody tell? He had heard stories of men being dragged from their homes and hung for it. He suddenly saw himself being dragged away from his new home with his mother crying in the background.
"I- I don't know what your referring to... honestly." He was on the verge of tears. Begging with his eyes that she leave it be.
Before she could respond, a voice that sounded like an angel came from behind him. "Santana! Leave the new guy alone!"
Blaine spun around in his chair to find the boy with beautiful eyes and coiffed hair behind him. He was standing with his hands on his hips and frowning at Santana. Blaine's heart stuttered and his whole body froze.
"I was just asking him some questions, jeez." Santana winked at Blaine. "What are you over here for anyway, Porcelain?"
The boy rolled his eyes. "I need two lunch plates."
Santana and Brittany hopped up and started the food preparations. The boy looked down at Blaine who was still staring at this saving grace of an angel. "Hi, I'm Kurt." Blaine almost forgot his own name.
"Oh! I'm Blaine."
Kurt reached his hand out for Blaine to shake. They were rough hands of someone who worked hard. Blaine winced internally at the thought of Kurt feeling his soft hands and knowing Blaine never worked a day's hard labor in his life.
"So, you're new here. I hear you bought a horse from my dad." The recognition clicked.
"You're Mr. Hummel's son?"
Kurt did share some features of his father's, but didn't look as though they were related. He must look like his mother.
"Yeah. Blacksmith in training and everything," Kurt laughed awkwardly.
"Oh, so you're becoming a blacksmith?"
Kurt nodded. "Yes, in my father's footsteps." He looked down at the table and drew circles on the table cloth.
"So, what does a blacksmith do?" Blaine was completely enraptured by the boy.
"We fix things... we sell horses, as you know. We make things." Kurt didn't sound very interested to Blaine. Maybe he didn't like talking to him.
"What do you like to do?" Blaine asked.
Kurt looked taken aback. "What do I like to do?" Blaine smiled and nodded. "Um... I like... riding horses," Kurt offered.
"What is your passion? Like, what is it you were born to do?"
Kurt seemed a little flustered by this question. "I don't know. I guess blacksmithing." He seemed to shut down. Blaine didn't understand why, but he was determined to fix the conversation.
"So, what is your favourite flower?"
Kurt looked at him as if he asked him to dive into the lake in December. "What?"
Blaine smiled at Kurt. "What's your favourite flower? Mine is golden rods. They come out when it's close to winter as if warning us and then die when it gets too cold. Kinda tragic right?"
Kurt mouth quirked up minutely. "Larkspurs," he answered quietly as Blaine's smile widened.
"Larkspurs... I've never had the pleasure of looking on them."
Kurt laughed slightly. "You speak so eloquently. It proves your not from around here."
Blaine laughed. "Am I that obvious?" They shared another laugh before Santana appeared with two plates of food.
"Here you go. Two plates of the best food you'll ever eat."
Kurt took them. "You say that every time."
"And every time, it's the best food."
Kurt smiled and waved at Blaine. "See you around, new guy."
Blaine waved back. He wished that they could have talked more. Like forever. Santana looked at him and made a face that said she knew everything he was thinking. He made haste out of the cafe and back to the sheriff's office. His mother was standing with the horse and carriage.
"There you are! Goodness, Blaine. I've been waiting."
"Sorry, mother. I was having a refreshing time at the cafe." With the most beautiful boy in existence, he added mentally.
Cooper looked over at Blaine and smiled. "The girls are very pretty." He nudged Blaine with his elbow.
"Right. The girls. They are very beautiful."
He couldn't help but glance over at the blacksmith stall and catch a glimpse of Kurt. He smiled to himself as his mother climbed into the carriage.
"Come along, Blaine."
He climbed into the carriage himself and told the horse to get going. Maybe this move wasn't a waste.
So what do we think? Yes, no? Thoughts, feelings? Let us know in a review! Most of the chapters will be around 3,000 words or longer. We will also post all our stories on A03 as well. Under the same user name. Anyway, have a lovely week! -A and K