Part 1: A Song of Wyoming For Me

Echo Aven sat across from the Sheriff of Absaroka County, patiently waiting to see if she got the job or not. Sheriff Longmire was reading over her resume while rubbing his chin with his other hand. Finally he looked up at her, "So Echo, I see here you served in the Army for 12 years, that sure is a long time."

"Yes, sir. I was stationed in Iraq for the 12 years.""And it states here that you received a Purple Heart? That's pretty incredible."

"I didn't do it for the honor, sir. Just doing my duty for my country."

"And what made you leave after 12 years?"

"I was wounded in battle, sir. After I was medically cleared, I decided to settle down into a more peaceful life, sir."

The Sheriff chuckled under his breath, "I don't know if you'll actually get peace and quiet here, but it probably is a little better than war. I also see before you enlisted that you lived in North Carolina, and then Maryland..How was it you decided to end up in Absaroka County, Wyoming?"

"I served with a Lieutenant Bryant Parker, he was from Durant. He always talked about when his time was done how he would be moving back home and working for the Sheriff's department. He didn't get to make it home, however, he made it sound so amazing here I decided I would come here in his memory, sir."

Walt stared at the woman across from him. She had long copper hair that was pulled back into a ponytail, bright green eyes, and a dusting of freckles across her nose. He noticed the slight scar above her right eyebrow and immediately she wondered how she got it. "Do you suffer from PTSD?"

Echo was a little taken aback by the question, most people weren't so forward with prying into a soldiers life. "Well I, uh, I mean I have the occasional nightmares, but nothing crazy. I don't wake up clutching a gun or strangling my dog. Nor do I freeze in the moment due to a traumatic event being triggered. I have my demons, Sheriff, but nothing that would prevent me from doing this job properly."

"Good, does Monday sound good to you?"

Echo smiled, "Yeah, Monday sounds great to me, sir."

The Sheriff stood up out of his chair and stuck his hand out. "Then I'll see you Monday, only under one condition, no more calling sir. It's Walt, Longmire, or Sheriff, but not sir. It makes me feel old. Do you have a place to stay?"

Echo stood and shook his hand, "I'll do my best to stop, Longmire. And I do, I'm staying at Lieutenant Parkers old cabin. His parents have graciously allowed me to rent his cabin and stables."

"Parker was a great man; my daughter went to school with him. I'm happy to hear you'll keep that place from falling to the ground, it's a nice place. Stop by on your way out and have Vic give you a uniform. See you Monday, Echo."

Echo turned and walked back out the way she came, into the main office where Vic and the one they called Ferg sat. Vic stood up and shook her hand, "It's going to be pretty nice to have another woman here." Echo just nodded her head and smiled back at her politely. "Right over here are the uniforms, let's get you a couple shirts, shall we? I think Walt told me you're from the south. It's pretty cold here, so I would be sure to double up on the clothes and socks if you ask me. When I moved here I thought I would freeze to death. Wyoming winters are harsh."

"I love the cold. I've had enough of the heat."

Vic just looked at her sideways but didn't say anything about it. "Here ya go, if you need anything else, don't hesitate to ask me or Ferg, or Ruby, or Walt."

"Thank you, I appreciate it. I do have one question, where do you get a drink around here?"

"Oh definitely the Red Pony, Henry is Walt's best friend and will take good care of you." Vic grabbed a scrap piece of paper and wrote down the address for the bar and handed it to her. "I'm sure we'll be there at some point tonight."

Echo thanked her, waved goodbye to Ferg and Ruby, and headed out the door and down the steps. Crossing the street, she headed for her black 1989 Dodge Power Wagon. Once she opened the door she tossed the things into the passenger side of the bench seat and jumped in. She looked at the address that Vic had given her, but then decided against it and instead headed to the cabin.

Once home she walked out to the stables where her horses, Max and Lucy greeted with a happy nicker. She stopped at Max's stall first, he was the first horse she bought when she came back to the States. He was a black paint with one blue eye and a pink snout, much of his face was white, the black not starting until the ears. He was the prettiest horse she had ever set her eyes on. It also helped that the original owners were terrified of him, said he was hopeless, would never be broken, so the sell was easier than expected. She actually found him to be the best horse she had ever ridden. Echo opened his stall door and grabbed him by his halter, leading him out to pasture. Once at the barn door, she released him and he sped off into the open field like the devil was at his heels.

An impatient snort from behind her made her giggle, "Oh I didn't forget about you, Lucy." The buckskin mare had her head over the stall door, hopping from one foot to the other. She gave a pitiful bray at Echo and kicked the door. Echo just shook her head and walked over to let her out too. She found Lucy in Montana at a horse rescue. The original owners had neglected her, her hooves were badly overgrown and broken, she was so sickly that the rescue didn't even believe she'd make it. Echo had taken her, nursed her back to health, then brought her and Max here.

After Echo released Lucy into the field, she walked back to the cabin to find something to eat. The cabin was small but worked very well for her. A one bedroom, one bathroom with an awesome clawfoot tub. After spending 12 years in the desert, a bathtub was everything she thought she could ever want or need again in her life.

Instead of food, she headed straight to the fridge and pulled out a beer and headed for the bathroom. Leaning over she placed the plug into the tub and turned the hot water on. Walking back into her room, she sat on the bed and pulled her boots off, tossing them near the door. Stripping off the rest of her clothes she went back into the bathroom and looked into the mirror. She traced the faint scar above her right eyebrow with her finger, then looked away abruptly. Grabbing the cold beer, she lowered herself into the hot water and let out a sigh as she turned the spout off and leaned back against the tub.

"Deputy Echo Aven.." she chuckled at the sound of it and turned the rest of the can up and chugged it, crushing the can and tossing it into the trashcan.