Chapter 1

Rock Creek May 1861

She had finally arrived, it had been a truly exhausting journey: the train, the ship, the train again and now the coach. She was beginning to understand why they called it the Wild West. There wasn't a joint in her body that didn't hurt. When she left Italy she knew that the journey would be long and difficult, but she didn't expect so much.

She got off the coach helped by a kind gentleman in his fifties who also helped her take her luggage and thanked him warmly.

She dusted off her skirt, straightened the bodice of her dress and went to Mrs. Robinson. When she had spent the night in Seneca, she had asked the hotel if by any chance it was possible to have the contact information of those who dealt with the sale of houses in Rock Creek and the owner of the hotel had told her to contact the marshal: for sure he would know help her.

Joy, that was the name of the girl who arrived in Rock Creek that morning, wasted no time and went to the marshal.

"Good evening miss, how can I help you?"

"Good evening marshal, Mr. Rowling from the hotel told me that you could tell me who is in charge of selling the houses in Rock Creek"

"Of course, it's about Mrs. Robinson, an old friend of mine. As soon as you get to town, you'll find Mr. Tompkins' General Store and Mrs. Robinson's Gun Shop next door. She was widowed last year and takes care of both her husband's shop and the sale of the houses. It's a true force of nature."

"Thank you marshal, that was really nice"

"But of course, I never refuse to help a pretty girl. When you get to Rock Creek, say hello to old Teaspoon Hunter, he's marshal there and also runs the Pony Express station."

"Sure, I won't miss it. Good night marshal"

That was how she had come to know about Mrs. Robinson. She wanted to go to her immediately to buy a house in the city if it was possible, she didn't want to settle in a hotel. She didn't have many pretensions, she would have been satisfied with a very simple house, as long as it was not far from the centre.

She took her bags with her and immediately went to the shop. As Seneca's marshal had told her, it was right next to the city's main store, near the stagecoach arrival point.

"It is allowed? Miss Robinson?"

"Yes? Who is looking for me?"

"Hello ma'am, my name is Joy, I've just arrived in town and I'm looking for a house to buy. Seneca's marshal gave me your name."

"Oh that old scoundrel! Come in, come along. "

"Thank you"

"So, what kind of house are you looking for?"

"Oh, something simple, as long as it's here in town. You know, I'm alone and I'd rather not live too much outside..."

"Of course I understand. But where are you from? Your accent is not from here"

"No, I'm Italian and I've been on a long journey, I've just arrived"

"Woh! From so far! You will be exhausted"

"Yes, in fact I hope to find accommodation as soon as possible"

"Well, I have two proposals: one right here near the Church and one towards the prairie, but from what you tell me, maybe it's better that I show you the first one"

"Oh yes, if it were possible!"

"Certain. John, can you come a moment? John is my nephew, he has been helping me since my husband died. Oh there you are. You take care of the shop, I'll take Miss Joy to see a house"

"Of course aunt, don't worry. Good morning miss, nice to meet you"

"My pleasure John" and the two shook hands.

As they walked towards the house, Mrs. Robinson gave Joy the third degree: "Why are you here all alone from Italy?"

"Well, well, unfortunately my parents are gone and so I decided to try my luck in America. My dad was a fan of American history and this also justifies my name which has nothing to do with Italy"

"Well, good luck then. Here we come. There will be some dust."

Mrs. Robinson showed Joy around the house: in front was a very small courtyard that led onto the veranda. The house was on two floors: on the first there was a living room with a fireplace, a sofa, two armchairs and a large table in the centre, a fairly spacious kitchen and a closet; on the second two rooms, a larger one furnished with a chest of drawers and a large piece of furniture against the wall opposite the bed, a desk on the opposite side of the chest of drawers and two bedside tables, and another room which could be used as a library or could be made into another bedroom. It was very dusty but overall it was in good shape.

"The previous owners moved to California three months ago and the house has been vacant ever since. You know, not many new people come here to Rock Creek. If you like it, it's yours from today"

Joy inquired about the price and, finding it suitable, followed the woman into the shop to sign the papers and pay the agreed amount.

Within a few hours she had arrived in a new city and had bought a beautiful house: the beginning was very promising.

She quickly stopped at the general store to buy some supplies and headed to her new home.

When she entered she felt a strong emotion: she had taken the first step towards her new life. The tiredness of the journey made itself felt, but she didn't let herself be overwhelmed: she quickly changed her clothes, put on her comfortable trousers and a simple shirt, rolled up her sleeves and gave the house a good clean.

As Mrs. Robinson had said, it was very well kept, there was no work to do other than some improvements that Joy already had in mind, but there would be time.

She settled her luggage, freshened up and went out for a tour of the city. She explored the various shops, got an idea of where she could buy the things she would need, and visited the Church where she would go to Sunday services.

In the afternoon she rested from the long journey and in the evening she decided to have dinner at the hotel, she really didn't feel like cooking after the intense day she had spent.

While having dinner, she noticed that she was attracting the attention of many young people, but she pretended not to notice it: she didn't want problems, she had other things to think about, first of all she had to get a job. Her parents had bequeathed her some money and the sale of the house in Italy had brought her a lot, but the purchase of her new home, convenient as it was, had drained a good part of her finances.

She promised herself that the next day she would start the search. After having dinner she returned home and finally abandoned herself to a long, relaxing sleep.

The next morning, she had breakfast and then sat down at the desk in her room: she made a list of everything she would need to arrange the house and make it feel more like hers. First, she wanted to turn the extra room upstairs into a library and study. She had always dreamed of having a room of her own filled with books; she had brought some from Italy, especially on American history and the various Indian tribes: her father had passed on this passion to her and she literally devoured all the books on that subject. She was very attracted to that culture so different from hers but in which she was able to recognize elements that she felt were hers. She was a practicing believer, but sometimes she just couldn't understand some attitudes of the Church and she felt like a free spirit. When she read about the religiosity of the natives, from what little she found in the books, she felt very sympathetic to some of their ideas and hoped to learn more about them now that she was so close to them.

She also bothered to write some letters to be addressed to friends in Italy, but she told herself that there wasn't such a hurry to send them.

She left the house with the list of things to buy and went to the general store first. The day before, when she had gone in for supplies, she had noticed that there were many nice things that could have used her.

"Hello miss, how may I help you?" asked the shop owner, Mr. Tompkins.

Joy handed him the list of what she needed, and as Tompkins gathered what she needed, she looked around. She noticed that near the counter there was a sign that read: "Help needed for general store. Refrain time wasters ". Immediately her face lit up: she could offer herself for the job.

When Tompkins came over to give her the bill, Joy asked: "Mr. Tompkins, I read the ad at the counter. Are you looking for someone with some particular characteristic?"

"Well, no, look for a serious person you can trust to help me serve in the shop. I get older and I find it more and more difficult to follow everything by myself"

"I was wondering if I could propose myself. I just arrived in the city and I need a stable job. I assure you that I'm a reliable girl and that work doesn't scare me. Furthermore, I live right near here and I could be present at any time you needed it"

"Oh well, we could try. I certainly didn't expect to hire a girl, but why not? Do you know how to manage accounts?"

"Oh yes, I attended school in Italy, I can read, write and do arithmetic"

"Well, then let's say that from tomorrow I'll take you on trial and let's see how it goes"

"Oh thank you Mr Thompkins, you won't regret it. Here's the money I owe you and see you tomorrow then. Good day"

She couldn't believe it: in two days she had found a home and a job. She was beginning to really love that little town.

As she walked out of the store with a gorgeous smile on her face, she dropped a package and as she stooped to pick it up, she was kindly helped by a gray-haired gentleman in a hat worn askew.

She thanked him and he replied: "You're welcome Miss, Marshal Teaspoon Hunter at your service"

"Oh you are Marshal Hunter!"

"Well, yes…", the man replied astonished.

"I bring you greetings from Marshal of Seneca. I spent the night there two days ago and he begged me to give his regards if I met you."

"Oh, that old rascal! I've known him for ages, we served in the military together when we were young. So you just arrived in town?"

"Yes, my name is Joy, nice to meet you. I am from Italy and from tomorrow I will help Mr Thompkins in his shop. Now I have to go. See you soon marshal"

"Well, we'll see each other often then, my Pony Express boys always stock up at the general store. I think you will soon get to know them. Pleasure to meet you. Good day"

"Good day to you" and went home to arrange the things she had bought.

The next morning she was very excited: her first day at work. She got up early, ate breakfast, put on a simple blue suit and went to the general store: for fear of being late, she even arrived before Tompkins.

"Good morning! Well, you don't lack punctuality. Let's go in!"

Tompkins gave her a tour of the store and explained how to behave, then assigned her to her station. Joy was very tense, and when the first client came in, she did her best to implement Tompkins' advice. When she came out, he complimented her, she was really good. Joy relaxed and the morning went by quickly.

She went home for lunch and decided that in the afternoon she would take a good book with her. There was some downtime in the shop and Tompkins himself had advised her to bring something to do.

Towards evening, a blond woman came in and greeted Thompkins confidentially.

"Good morning Rachel! Why alone today?"

"The boys are out buying horses and so I came alone. Here is the list of what I need"

As she handed the paper to Tompkins, the woman noticed Joy's presence.

"Hello, are you the new helper then? I noticed that the sign is no longer there"

"Yes, today is my first day, but I'm only on trial. My name is Joy, nice to meet you"

"My pleasure Joy, I'm Rachel. Are you new in town? I have never seen you"

"Yes, I arrived a few days ago from Italy and I live nearby"

"Wow, from Italy. And what brings you to this lost town?"

"I was orphaned and there was nothing holding me there anymore. My father passed on his passion for American history and native culture to me and when I was left alone, I decided to embark on this new adventure"

"It's very exciting! Whatever you need, just ask, I'd be happy to help you. You can find me at the Pony Express station, I look after the boys"

"Thank you, you're so kind. I will take advantage of it"

Rachel noticed the necklace and earrings Joy wore: they represented a dream catcher and the feathers were the three colors of gold.

"That necklace is very beautiful"

"Oh, this. Thank you. It is a gift from my father. He knew my passion for Indian culture and gave it to me on my birthday a few years ago. I almost always wear it, I'm very fond of it"

"You should talk to one of my boys then, Buck Cross. He is a Kiowa half-blood and could tell you a little about his traditions"

"Oh that would be nice!"

"Come to the Saturday night parish dance, I'll introduce you to all my boys and Marshal Teaspoon"

"Oh I've met Mr. Hunter before, we met yesterday right here"

Meanwhile a customer came in.

"Now I have to leave you Rachel, if you'll excuse me, I have to serve the lady. Nice to meet you"

"Me too, see you on Saturday then and remember my invitation to come and see me"

"I won't miss it, thank you"

Joy devoted herself to the lady and Rachel joined Tompkins who in the meantime had prepared everything on the list.

"That girl is really pretty, you were right to hire her"

"Yeah, today is her first day but she's already very relaxed. I think I was very lucky. By the way, I heard you were talking about Buck. Rachel, please, she's a lonely girl, I don't know if you should put strange ideas into her head"

"What ideas? She told me she was passionate about American history and Native culture and I told her Buck could tell her something, that's all. Don't be prejudiced against him, you know he's a good boy who has suffered a lot."

"Yes, but she is a lonely girl and must be protected from gossips"

"Yours and some bigots with whom you often linger to chat. You would never change"

She took her things and left indignant.

Thompkins shook his head in anticipation of trouble.