January 14, 1872
Today was Ariadne's birthday. As she lay in bed with light streaming through the window, a breeze coming in through the tiny crack in the shutter caused a ripple in the curtains. She stared at the movement and thought about her life.
She was nineteen today.
It seemed like such an old age to still be unmarried. Ariadne didn't spend too much time thinking about things like that, but every now and then she couldn't help it. Every girl she knew, with the exception of Abigail, was already married with several children by nineteen.
Right now all she felt when she thought about marriage and a husband was heartache. As much as she didn't want to admit it, Arthur was the only man who had ever caught her eye… And thinking about that was inappropriate. Even though they didn't show the same public displays of affection like Roy and Ashley, Ariadne knew what she had seen on New Year's. He and Ruth had something and she wouldn't get in the way. If it meant she sacrificed her own happiness for Arthurs, well… so be it.
Ariadne physically shook her head to get rid of the thoughts of Arthur and Ruth… That was the last thing she wanted to think about. It was her birthday! She rolled out of bed, hopping off of the cold wooden floor onto the rug by her dresser.
As it was Sunday, there was no school, so she had the whole day to herself. After church she didn't have plans until dinner. Mal and Dom had offered to make her a special meal and she was looking forward to it. Dom and Eames had gone hunting last week and shot down several deer. Venison stew was delicious and Ariadne hoped that was what Mal was making.
For all the anxiety she had about teaching, things had been going surprisingly well so far. The last week had flown by! Even though she was still having trouble with Mark Yusuf, the rest of the children got along pretty well. Little problems arose here and there, especially when she realized that about 50% of her students were not at the reading and writing levels they should be for their ages. Her goal this year was to catch them up.
She finished getting dressed in her favorite blue dress, pinned her hair up in a braid and twirled it back into a bun at the nape of her neck. Looking in the mirror, she pinched her cheeks for some color and hurried to get downstairs.
"You've been avoiding me love." Out of nowhere a voice whispered in her ear. Abigail gasped and jumped slightly. She was sitting at the end of the row in church next to her mother, father and brother. Pastor Brown's sermon had enthralled Abigail to the point where she had been completely unaware of who had taken a seat behind her.
She turned her head slightly and found Eames leaning his arms on the back of her pew looking at her out of the corner of his eye. "I have not…" She said, trying to keep the smile off her face. Oh he is handsome… she thought before she could stop herself. Abigail, you're in church! Maintain appropriate thoughts! She chastised herself and said a quick prayer for forgiveness.
"Oh really? This is the first time we've spoken in over a week… Funny how that works. I drunkenly make a fool of myself at the party and ever since you casually sprint away whenever you see me coming." He said lightly. Abigail had tried not to giggle at that but failed. It came out as more of a snort and when her mother looked at her she tried to play it off as a cough.
"Smooth, dear. You know if you would just marry me already you could sit back here with me and we could have a proper conversation." Eames said, his smile growing bigger. "Oh you hush, Eames. I'm trying to listen" She whispered back at him. This banter went back and forth for the rest of the service.
When the sermon was over Eames made his way over to chat with her parents. She stood with them but didn't engage in the conversation. She couldn't help but blush at how often their eyes met. After exchanging conversation for a few minutes, he took his leave and tipped his hat to her. That stupid smile was back on her face as she nodded goodbye back to him. Whatever awkwardness she thought she had created at midnight on New Year's Eve was gone. Not that she could pinpoint exactly why, but she was in such a good mood that she was practically skipping home.
Ariadne had left right after church to go drop off a letter at the post office. The kids at the orphanage had sent her a card for her birthday so she was mailing back her thank you. It was amazing to see some of the younger children writing! Their handwriting and spelling was so much improved! After she gave the letter to Matthew James she was walking back towards the boarding house and an arm shot out blocking her path.
She stopped short and jumped in surprise. She hadn't even noticed the man standing there.
"Well if it isn't Miss Ariadne, the pretty new school teacher." The man said. Ariadne had seen him at church before but never anywhere else around town. He was dressed in a nice black leather jacket and fitted dark jean pants tucked into his shiny cowboy boots, but his long hair was greasy and slicked back into a ponytail. She wouldn't have been so on edge if it hadn't been for the sneer on his face and the disturbing glint in his eye.
"Um, yes hello." She said, very aware that no one else seemed to be on the road. Where is everyone?! Didn't church just end? "I don't believe we've met."
"Oh of course, my apologies my dear one. I'm Stewart Nash, please to make your acquaintance." Oh this is Mr. Nash… The one Arthur mentioned. Well I'd have been fine with not making his acquaintance…
Before she was able to say another word her savior called out to her "Hey Ariadne!" She and Nash both turned to see Arthur walking towards them. "Mrs. McCrery needs you, she told me to come find you."
"Ok thank you." Was she thanking him for delivering the message or for his perfect timing? Araidne wasn't sure, but said goodbye to Nash and quickly walked across the street.
Arthur waited till Ariadne was around the corner, after one last glace back at him she walked out of sight. Nash opened his mouth to speak but before a word came out Arthur grabbed him by the shirt and slammed him into the side of the building.
"Leave her alone Nash. I mean it. If I catch you with her again, I don't care what the laws are... You'll regret it..." Nash smiled and continued to taunt Arthur but he couldn't hide the fear in his eyes.
"Why sheriff, you're awful protective of the young miss... Seems to me this might be more than just your lawful duty..."
"You heard what I said Nash." With that Arthur pushed him back against the wall one last time as he released his grasp and stalked off.
"Ariadne! Hey, sorry about that. Regina wasn't actually asking for you. You just looked uncomfortable talking with him so I made up an excuse…" Ariadne was halfway back to the boarding house when Arthur caught up to her. "But have you ever shot a gun?"
Ariadne laughed, shocked at the abrupt change of topic. "What?! No! Of course not, what do I look like? Some gun slinger… Some cowboy ready to take down a rogue bandit?"
Arthur laughed, his cheeks turning slightly red. Of course she hasn't shot a gun… She was raised to be a little New York society girl. She's probably never even held a gun. He thought as a plan started to form in his mind.
"Would you like to? Learn how, I mean. I was just thinking, it might be important to know… Just in case" He watched as she looked at him with a shocked stare.
"You're serious aren't you?! Oh my goodness, Arthur, I couldn't possibly… Is this because I ran into that man? Stewart Nash right?" Arthur nodded, still annoyed that Nash had stopped to talk with her at all. He was bad news.
"Why not, love? You're in the Wild West now. It's ok to learn. It's actually a smart thing to know how to handle a gun. Dad taught Abigail a few years ago. She's actually a pretty good shot." Arthur knew he was bright red now. Why did you call her love?! Since when do you use endearments like Eames? Ah God! Just keep talking so she'll forget about it! He thought quickly.
"So we can go get Abby, don't call her that, she hates when I do," he said with a grin, "And we can set up some bottles out back behind your school, that's a huge field so it'll be perfectly safe. I can show you how to load the gun, how to aim and shoot and then…" He hadn't even finished before she interrupted him.
"Ok! Yes, Let's do it… If your sister agrees to come too then I will let you teach me!" She said with a smile.
Ariadne had felt her heart skip a beat when she heard him call her love. Had he really said it? Did Arthur normally call people that? She didn't think she'd ever heard him refer to anyone so affectionately before. Her heart was still beating faster than normal and she didn't think it had anything to do with the prospect of holding a gun. Ah, what this man does to me. He doesn't even realize… She thought, get it together! At least Abigail will be there, that way it won't seem inappropriate. What I really should have done was invited Ruth… That would be the best situation, but I don't think I can quite take seeing them together all afternoon... She talked herself through the excuses she had to get to spend the afternoon with Arthur.
They decided to start this afternoon and Arthur rode off to get his extra gun and for Abigail. Ariadne ran into the boarding house to tell Regina where she was going. She also got her extra gloves and scarf. It wasn't snowing today, and the sun was out… But it was cold. I wish winter would just be over and done with already! She thought as she wrapped her scarf around her neck.
"Ok so this is a Colt Revolver. It's the standard Army issue weapon, pretty simple, this is the hammer, the trigger, the cylinder…" Ariadne listened and watched as Arthur went through explaining his gun. It fit into her hands pretty easily. Abigail showed her how to load it and she watched as Abigail fired off the first six rounds. After that, Arthur had Ariadne load the gun. She was so nervous about the whole thing. Who would have thought I would even learn how to shoot a gun. She wondered.
"You need to make sure you keep it pointed down and away from people…" Arthur said as he gently moved her arm so the gun was no longer pointed towards his feet. She looked up at him with a terrified expression. "You mean it can just go off at any time?!"
Arthur and Abigail laughed and he responded, "No of course not! It's just a safe habit to get into." Once she was finished Arthur had her stand on a line he had drawn in the snow, with her feet in a solid stance, and hold the gun out in front of her.
"Ok, see how you are standing?" She looked down and nodded, "Go ahead and put one foot slightly behind the other, there is a bit of kick on this gun so you don't want to fall."
She changed her stance and he came up behind her to change the placement of her hands. He was literally wrapped around her, and everywhere they were touching was on fire. His strong shoulders and arms had protectively come around hers and she couldn't help but think how wonderfully she fit in his arms.
"Are you shaking?" He murmured in her ear, sending chills up and down her body. "What? No… It's just cold out here…" Get off me Arthur before I forget how to breathe… Oh this is so inappropriate. She thought. Abigail just watched, thinking nothing of it. Thankfully he lined up her site, showed her where to look and how to cock back the hammer and then finally took a step back.
BAM! The gun sounded so much louder when she had it in her hands! Another shock was how it threw her arms upward. That must have been the 'kick' Arthur was talking about. Her grip hadn't been tight enough on the weapon and the barrel of the gun was pointing straight up towards the sky just by the mere power from the shot.
"Hey you hit one of the bottles!" Abigail shouted and started clapping her hands in excitement.
"I did?!" Ariadne remarked. Arthur looked over at her with an impressed expression. "Must be beginners luck." She said, blushing.
"Want to do it again?" He asked with a huge smile.
"Definitely!" She said with a laugh.
"That's great! Roy and I tried to teach Ruth and Ashley a few years ago but they didn't really get into it." He said, still looking at her with admiration.
The three of them took turns until they had run through the entire box of bullets. By then it was almost time for Ariadne to get to dinner at the Cobb's anyway, so the timing was perfect. As they were all walking back Ariadne promised to buy another box if Arthur would take her out again. Overall it had turned out to be a wonderful birthday.