With the unexpected rest the horses received in Danbury, Bass and Charlie could put another 60 miles on the road before having to put in another two-day stop. Mid-day on the fourth day, there was a most welcome sign, a bit rough but still standing. "Welcome to Oklahoma. The Sooner State."
Bass pulled Chamberlain close to Charlie and leaned in for a kiss. "We made it, Babe."
Charlie was grinning. "Why 'The Sooner State'?"
"It's in reference to the original people who staked their claims on land before the land was officially available."
"How do you know that?"
"I loved American History. Would have probably been a history teacher had I finished school."
"Wow. Miles really screwed you, didn't he."
"He's, my brother. I did what I needed to do for him. Come on, let's get going."
Bass' story made Charlie realize even more how hurt Bass must have felt at Miles' betrayal. (Bass gave up a dream for him. Miles seems to have forgotten that.)
Another five miles and they came to another state park. This one had conveniently catered to horseback camping availing them to an old stable and large grazing field.
They picked a campsite close to the barn, and as they would be staying two days, the tent was set up. The camp readied, Charlie went out to the field hunting for a rabbit or two. Bass set about getting the fire going, and the roasting spit set up. As it turned out, the field was full of rabbits, and Charlie had their diner in no time.
After diner, they were relaxing against a convenient log, sipping some of the whiskey Bass had been rationing in celebration of their arrival.
"I wish that I could have taken you on a date, a real date," Bass says.
"What do you mean, a 'real' date."
"I mean, like, out to dinner and maybe a movie. Or, a day at the beach or bowling."
"What's bowling?"
Well, there were these wooden things, shaped like this," he drew a rough bowling pin in the dirt. There were ten of them set in a triangle, like this." Again, he drew in the dirt. "They were set up at one end of this long wooden floor, and you rolled a heavy ball at them and tried to knock them all down in two tries."
"And this was fun? Huh, can't picture it. What else would we have done?"
"Oh, I don't know, go to fairs in the fall. Maybe dancing or a moonlight cruise. Or how about this…dancing on a moonlight cruise." Bass slips his arm around her and snuggles her close. She rests her head in that special place just under his neck and on his shoulder.
"Sounds nice…"
"We're about one hundred miles south of Oklahoma City. If things continue to go well, we can start looking for a town to settle in in another twenty to fifty miles."
"That sounds great. It's going to be so nice to finally settle somewhere." Charlie replies. "Too many years as a nomad, I am so ready to stay in one place."
Four days after their stay in the state park, they approached the town of Gidding. Arriving in the town as was their routine, they sort out the stables. Dropping off the horses and Lilly for a rest and feed, Bass took Charlie's hand, and they went to look at what goods were available.
"If everything looks alright, how about we spend the night? Sleep in a real bed? Get a warm bath instead of cold streams and sponge baths?"
"Reading my mind; sounds perfect."
They strolled throw the village taking inventory of what was available. Everyone they met was friendly, and no one seemed to have recognized Bass, or if they did, they chose not to mention it. There was plenty of fresh food available, along with soaps and other necessities. They would shop before they left in the morning.
After talking with one of the merchants, they got directions to the town's pub for drinks and dinner.
"So… this is kind of a date, yeah?" Charlie teased.
Bass chuckled, "yeah, but I don't get to drive you home, walk you to your door, and surprise you with a kiss."
"Well… you can walk me to our room and kiss me to your heart's content," she said with a seductive smirk.
"And, Mrs. Monroe, I will; you can count on it."
A week and thirty-five miles later, Bass mentioned that he thought it was time to look for a town to settle. After checking the map, the first town that Bass wanted to check out was Granby, a pre-blackout population of less than 1000, a farming community.
"Let's stable the horses and take a walk around, get a feel for the place," Bass suggests.
They browsed the shops and talked with some of the locals.
"Seems nice, Bass. How 'bout we stay a couple of days and feel it out some more. And… let's make sure that there aren't any of those bounty posters hanging around."
"Amen to that."
The following morning, after a breakfast of fresh pastry and coffee at a sidewalk café, Bass announced that he was going to get his hair and beard trimmed. He had seen a barber while they were walking around the day before.
"Those are great places to pick up on the local goings-on."
"That sounds like a plan; I'll just poke around while you do that. Do you want to meet somewhere or just look around for me?"
"Why not meet back here about an hour. We'll get coffee and compare notes."
Bass stood from the table, dropped a quick kiss then headed off.
He walked into the Cut 'N' Shave to a friendly greeting from the owner. He had to wait a bit as the barber finished up the guy in the chair.
"Come on over, guy. What can I do for you?"
Bass asked for a trim of his hair and beard.
"How short do you want the beard?"
"Take it down to scruff… the wife likes it. The hair, just neaten it up."
"So, don't think that I've seen you around. Are you new in town? It's a good place to settle."
"Well, we were just passing through, but we are looking for a place."
Bass talked with the barber, Joe, while he worked. Joe liked to talk and filled Bass in on all of the particulars of the town.
"We currently don't have a doc. You don't happen to be one, are you?"
"No, sorry." (Ex-crazy dictator more like it.)
"Anyway, have to ride to Bartlesville if you really need one. That's about a four-hour ride. We have a midwife, though. She runs the clinic. Doc will come into town once a month to check on things."
"Good to know."
"Sheriff's a really good guy. Good head on his shoulders and fair. Names McElroy, Malcolm. He's got two deputies, Sean and Bird."
"Bird? Last name?"
"Nah, he's called 'Bird' cause he's tall and skinny…reminds you of that old TV character from that show the kids used to watch. You know the one with the big yellow bird."
Bass laughed, "Yeah, Big Bird. My sisters would watch that show all the time."
Joe finished, charged Bass three diamonds, and wished him a good day. "Think about sticking around. We're good folk if I do say so myself."
"Thanks, Joe. I'll speak to my wife about it."
That night Charlie was snuggled into Bass as they talked about their impression of the town. "Bass, honestly… I'm tired, and it seems nice here. The countryside is beautiful with the rolling hillsides. Do you think we could give it a go?"
"You're reading my mail, Babe. I was thinking that if we are going to stay, we should visit the Sheriff and just come clean with who we are. I don't want to settle down as 'Jimmy King', and if we have kids, I want them to have the Monroe name."
"I agree; if we're going to stay, we should definitely be upfront. If we can't be accepted, then we don't belong here," Charlie adds.
"Okay, tomorrow we seek out the Sheriff. Maybe he can point us to someone who could help us find a place."
The Sheriff's office was on the ground floor of what was once the town hall. A brick structure with a clock tower that still worked. There was a freshly painted sign out front.
Malcolm McElroy was sitting behind his desk when they walked into the office. "Good morning, folks," he greeted. He was approximately 5'10", medium build, and in his early fifties with greying dark brown hair and a full mustache. "What can I do for you?"
"Good morning, Sheriff," Bass starts. "Charlotte and I are looking for a place to settle, and it seems really nice here."
"It is. Peaceful mostly. We get the occasional bar scuffle. How can I help you, Mr…."
(Okay…here it goes…) He reaches for Charlie's hand and gives it a squeeze. "It's Monroe… Charlotte and Sebastian Monroe."
McElroy blinked, "Ahh, so, Mr. Monroe, should I call you general?" his tone becoming somewhat cool.
"It's just Monroe. We're just hoping to settle someplace quiet and live-in peace." Bass fished out his pardon from his pocket and handed it to the Sheriff. McElroy took a moment to look it over and handed the document back.
"Well, now, if the Great Republic of Texas sees fit to let bygones be bygones, it seems to me that so should we. Let me be the first to welcome you. Should I call you Sebastian?"
"Bass, it's Bass," they shook hands.
Charlie let out the breath that she had been holding and had to wipe a tear that broke through. They were finally going to get their chance.
"Sheriff…"
"Malcolm."
"Malcolm, where can we find out about any available properties."
"Right here. We currently don't have a town clerk or even a formal town government. We do hold town meetings when there are important issues, and we govern by a majority.
What would you be looking for? In town or more of a farm?"
"Farm property."
"Okay…Out County Road, there are a couple of farms sitting fallow. Head north out of town until you come to the crossroad. That would be County Road. Go left. After about three miles, you'll come to the first farm. That would be Warren and Maddie Thompson, fine folks. Go another two miles or so, and you'll see an overgrown lane on the right. It leads down to Broken Bow Lake; a lot of stuff around here has Native American Heritage. Any way the property sits on the lake. I think that you'll like that one.
The farm belonged to Wilfred and Ester Carney. Ester died about four years ago. Wilfred couldn't bring himself to stay, and he left to be with his daughter up outside of Oklahoma City. The property has been unoccupied for three years. I go out there every now and again, making rounds, check on the abandoned places. The house is in good shape. Wilfred was very particular about his property.
There are a couple more places further down County Road, but my guess is you won't want to go any further. This place is a gem."
Malcolm went into his desk drawer and brought out a key, handing it to Bass. "Lock up when your done looking. Let me know what you think."
They shook hands. "Thanks, Sheriff; we'll be back with the key."
"You're welcome, Mr. Monroe…Bass…Ma'am."
"Charlie," she says, shaking his hand.
Leaving the Sheriff's office, they headed to the stable to pick up the horses. Lilly would stay at the stable for now.
They found County Road and took the left as told. As they rode along, Bass began to daydream about what it would be like to finally relax and settle in one place. Charlie had been riding slightly forward of Bass.
"Bass? There's an overgrown lane; we should check it out; that might be it."
"Huh?" he said, startled. Charlie chuckled.
Charlie led them carefully down the lane. Brush had started to encroach on it, and there were a couple of blowdowns, but they were able to go around them. About a quarter-mile in the lane opened to a large overgrown yard. There, facing the lake, was a log home with a full front porch. They sat on their horses staring, momentarily speechless.
"Holy shit!" Bass exclaims.
"Yeah, holy shit!"
They dismounted, hobbled the horses, and started to walk around the house. Everything was intact. No broken windows. There was a well hand pump in the back, along with an outdoor cooking fireplace. A large barn sat off to the side in the back of the house on the right; a one-time garage was off to the left. Near the barn was what looked like a chicken coop, and there were a couple of other small enclosers. Behind the barn was a large grazing pasture.
"Bass…is that a smokehouse?"
He looked inside, "it would appear so."
"Let's go inside," Charlie said, climbing the six stairs to the porch. Bass unlocked the door and stood aside to let Charlie go in first. She stops dead, mouth gaping. Bass joins her. "Bass…" is all she can manage to say for a moment.
Everything looked to be in perfect condition but covered in a thick layer of dust and cobwebs. The exterior walls were log with the interior walls pine board. When they came in the door, they were standing at the foot of the stairs for the upstairs bedroom. To the left was the living room with a stone fireplace, bookshelves on either side. The furniture had been covered over with dust covers. Looked to be a couch and two chairs with tables and a coffee table.
The living room was open to the kitchen that was complete with pine cupboards, the sink was fitted with a hand pump, and a post-blackout cookstove had been installed. There was an oak wood table that could seat six. All the dishes and cookware were still there, a side door opened to the outside.
From there was a hallway that led to two good-sized bedrooms. One with two twin-style beds and the other with a queen. Dressers, side tables, and closets in both rooms. A full bathroom with a tub was off the hallway, along with another large closet.
"Bass, let's check out upstairs."
The top of the stairs and a landing opened to a bathroom with a commode, sink, and shower. In the master bedroom, there was a queen-size bed, two side tables, a chair, a large dresser, and a big closet was to the right.
Charlie stepped into Bass' embrace. "I can't believe this place. I can't believe no one has taken it! It was meant to be, Bass."
"Welcome home, Mrs. Monroe," he kissed her passionately. "Can't wait to break in this bed," he said suggestively.
"You're reading my mail."
Bass laughed.
On the way back to town, they couldn't stop talking about the house and property and how finally something was going their way.
"So, what did you think?" Malcolm knew exactly with they would think. "The property is an incredible find. We rarely got newcomers that wanted to settle in the small out of the way town. That would be the only reason that house hadn't been scooped up by now. That and the back taxes nobody had wanted to pay."
"It's perfect! What do we need to do?" Bass asked.
"Well, I'll put you on the town census. You can have the house for back taxes. You can pay overtime if you need to."
"How much? I received generous compensation from The Republic of Texas for my service in the Patriot war."
"Well, let's see…" Malcolm pulled out a ledger. "What would you say to two ounces?"
"Done."
"Congratulations. That's a great property, and the lake right there. There's good fishing in there too."
"Thanks, Malcolm."
"Yes, thank you," Charlie added.
They left the Sheriff's office all smiles. "Let's get some supplies, collect Lilly and head home," Bass said, taking Chamberlain's bridle to walk him to the stables.
It was already late afternoon when they arrived back at their house. Lilly's burden was left on the porch for easy access. Then they brought the horses and Lilly to the barn. The saddles went into the barn, horses rubbed down, and then Chamberlain, Mazy, and Lilly were hobbled and turned out into the pasture for the night.
Bass was walking away from the pasture when he stopped and looked back. He started to chuckle.
"What's so funny?"
"Just that for a moment I was concerned about leaving them out overnight, you know like that's not what's been happening every day for like, forever."
Charlie laughed with him. With the horses settled, he told Charlie that he was going to explore the out-buildings. Charlie retreated to the house to start cleaning.
Bass went to the old car garage first. The now-useless car had been pushed off to the side and into the brush. He lifted the roller door. The row of windows along one side provided plenty of light. To Bass' delight, there was a green fiberglass canoe, paddles, life vests, and the best part, fishing poles and tackle. This find sent him bounding to the cabin like a little kid.
"Hey! Charlie! How about fish for supper!"
"Really?"
"There's a canoe in the garage and all of the gear. I'll help you with this then go out on the lake and see what I can scare up."
Charlie kissed his cheek, smiling to see him so excited. "Just go…I'm good here."
Bass returned to the garage, grabbed the canoe, and brought it down to the lake. Then he went back for the gear. After clearing out the spiders, he slipped the boat into the water, turned to wave at Charlie where she was watching from the porch, and paddled off.
(He looks so happy…) Charlie went back to cleaning, and she couldn't stop smiling. She started in the master bedroom. After removing the dust covers, she determined that the linens were clean enough and would do for now. They've slept on much worse.
Finished with their bedroom, the kitchen came next.
It was late afternoon. Bass paddled along the shoreline, marveling at how peaceful he felt. After twenty minutes of paddling, he came upon a small cove and decided that this is where he would start.
The sun was just below the treetops when he paddled onto their shore. Charlie had been resting on the porch with a drink when she spotted him paddling in and then slide the canoe onto the rocky beach. Bass climbed out, pulled up the canoe, upturned it placing the paddles under it, and grabbed up the gear and his bucket.
Charlie was at the top of the stairs waiting to greet him. Beaming, he held up the bucket. "Supper!"
Charlie checked out his catch. There were two largemouth bass in the pail. "Bass from Bass!" he said, laughing. "I'll take these out back and clean 'um."
"Okay, I'll get the stove going."
Shortly, Bass returned with the filets and placed them in a bowl.
"Babe, I smell like fish; I'm gonna clean up before I cook the fish."
"Please do," she laughed.
While he was out on the lake, Charlie had stocked the kitchen with the supplies from Lilly's pack.
Returning to the kitchen, he gets working on the fish. "This kitchen is a gold mine!" Bass said as he pulled a can of lard, along with salt and pepper and the flour that they had brought with them. He made a batter for the fish while Charlie continued to look through the cupboards.
"What's 'minute rice'?"
"Quick-cooking rice. We can have some with the fish." Bass put the lard in a fry pan. When the pan was hot, he added the fish. Then helped Charlie with the rice, which was in a glass container.
It wasn't long before they were sitting down to their first meal in their new home.
"Bass! This fish is great!"
"Sure beats apples and jerky."
"How did you know how to make it?"
"I used to fish with my dad. He insisted that I learn to cook the fish."
After dinner, Bass picked up the plates and brought them to the sink. "Bass, leave um, you caught and cooked our supper. I'll clean up, go sit. Wait until you try the couch and chairs. Their leather is so soft."
Bass was so excited about the fish that he hadn't noticed the uncovered furniture in the living room. "Shit, this stuff is fantastic! I can't believe we fell into this house. It's fucking amazing."
"We were due for some good things, don't ya think?" Charlie says, kissing him.
"I do. I'm going to go check on the horses and Lilly."
Coming back into the house, he lit a fire in the fireplace. He sat on the couch and put his feet up on the coffee table. Watching the flames and listening to Charlie in the kitchen when he drifted off.
Finished in the kitchen, Charlie wanders over and smiles when she sees him sleeping. She stretches out across the couch and rests her head on his thigh.
The fire had died down, and Bass woke from his nap. He gave Charlie's shoulder a squeeze. She groaned and sat up. "What time is it?"
"Half-past nine. Ready to break in the bed?" He asked while kissing her neck.
She smiled, leaned in for another kiss, and reached out her hand.