July, 1958

Converse County, Wyoming, United States

There were times when Hans Dietrich wondered why he enjoyed visiting Sam Troy's ranch every summer. Sure, the war had been over for over a decade and he and Troy had put their previous animosity behind them, but there was still the fact that while Troy was a quick-thinker, very successful in combat, an excellent rancher, and a very good friend, he also had moments of extreme irrationality and poor manners.

Such as, for example, his greeting of Dietrich when the skinny German walked into the door. There was no "hello, how are you." Not even an embrace or handshake. There was this:

"Read this, Dietrich." Troy thrust a newspaper into Dietrich's hands.

"The whole paper? Why?" Dietrich asked, trying to suppress his confusion. "Can I take my boots off first?"

"No, this article, right here on the front page."

Dietrich sighed heavily before taking the paper. "'Stash of gold bullion from the early days of Wyoming's settlement may have finally been found right here in Converse County, based on analysis of historic records.'" He handed Troy the paper. "Okay. What is so important about this to you?"

"Read further. It says whoever finds it gets all of it, and can trade it for cash. That's a lot of cash, Dietrich, and I'm planning on splitting it evenly between you, me, Hitch, Moffitt, and Tully."

"What does your wife think of that idea?"

"My wife?"

"Yes. Your wife. Shauna. Have you hit your head and forgotten you were married, Troy?"

"No. I told her. She's okay with this."

"She is okay with you going out to a—" Dietrich skimmed the article, "a possibly dangerous cave, competing with other people who might be using nefarious means to acquire something that may not even be there?"

"No, we are going out to a possibly dangerous cave to get the gold."

"'We.'"

"Yes, Dietrich, 'we.'"

Dietrich glared at him. This had to be one of the most absurd things Troy had ever suggested. "Absolutely not."

"Come on, think about how many cinnamon rolls all that gold could get you."

"I am going to choose not to think about how many cinnamon rolls all that gold could get me."

"Dietrich, this could not only be one of the greatest treasure hunts in the state's history, but also a fun little adventure for the two of us."

"A fun little adventure. No, thank you. I come here to relax, not get dragged around on treasure hunts."

"Please, Dietrich?"

"No."

"Shauna won't let me go unless someone goes with me."

"Why can she not do it?"

"Because she doesn't want to."

"Then why pick me? Surely Hitch or Tully would go with you. Hell, Moffitt has gone on treasure hunts with his father. He actually has experience with things like this. Why not ask him?"

"Because you were already coming.

"And I have said, 'no.' This is silly, dangerous, and I do not want to see you get sucked into the idea of finding such a large sum of gold. It drives people mad."

"Haven't you said I'm already crazy?"

"Yes. Many times."

"Then it'll be fine."

"No. There must be a limit to your insanity."

"Okay, even if we don't find the gold, that's alright. At least we'll have something we can talk about."

"No. I am not doing this. That is my final decision."

Troy grunted before taking the newspaper back and going into the kitchen.

Shauna came downstairs, tying her long, dark hair into a messy ponytail. "Hello, Hans. How was your flight?"

"Very long, as always," Dietrich replied.

"I take it Sam's already pestering you about that cache of gold that's supposedly in this county?"

"Yes, Shauna, he is."

"Have you put your foot down?"

"Yes."

"Good. He's not going. I know that cave that's mentioned in the article. People have died there. It's a pit cave. It's steep and full of unstable rocks and rotting wood structures."

"I did worse back in the war," Troy said.

"So? That doesn't mean you can go waltzing into dangerous caves and expect to come out unharmed!"

"He waltzed into my camps and somehow came out unharmed," Dietrich muttered.

"We can't count on the same luck applying."

"I agree."

"Shauna," Troy faced his wife. "Do you have any idea how much we could expand the ranch with the money from this?"

"I don't want to expand the ranch, Sam," Shauna said. "We don't need the extra money. Be happy with what we have."

"I am happy with what we have."

"Then why do you want to risk your rear end for this?"

"For Dietrich and the others. I know Tully could use a little extra. Hitch has mentioned in his letters that he's thinking about getting a new vehicle. His share would more than cover that."

"I am fine with what I have," Dietrich said. "I know Moffitt does not need the money, either."

"This November will be his ten-year anniversary with Vanora. He could put it toward a trip. I'm willing to do this for all of you."

"And we do not want it, so stop thinking about it."

Troy sighed heavily before setting the newspaper on the kitchen table and going outside.

Dietrich folded his arms over his chest. "He did not even say 'hello.'"

"I'm sorry, Hans," Shauna said. "Everyone's timing was poor. I knew he was going to pester you about this, and I thought about calling to let you know ahead of time, but you were already on your way here."

"That is alright. I am just… very perplexed."

Shauna gave him a look. "Perplexed? Have you just met Sam?"

"No, but I am still… more perplexed than usual."

"Honestly, so am I, and I married him."

"I thought he was better than this. Going after gold seems very… out of character for him."

"I can understand the temptation, though. It's right here in this particular county, with more than enough for a worthwhile split between everyone."

"Knowing Troy, though, I doubt he wants this gold out of greed. He wants to see all of us happy and successful. A large sum of cash derived from this would certainly go a long way."

"That is true, and that was the first thing he said when he brought this up. His first thoughts were about all of you."

Dietrich sighed. "Maybe, maybe this could be something we undertake together. Honestly, I would rather see a cache of gold worth that much go to Troy and the others. Hitch could buy that car he wants, Tully could pay off the rest of his mortgage, Moffitt could take his wife on a vacation. Worthwhile things, meaningful things."

Shauna nodded. "You have a good point."

Dietrich groaned and rubbed his face. "I just talked myself into doing this."

"Hans, you are the one person on this Earth that I would trust to accompany Sam on this."

"I am supposed to be the voice of reason."

"Exactly, which is why I trust you."

"No, that means I put my foot down and say 'no,' not join him! But—" Dietrich hung his head. "There is a perfectly logical and meaningful reason for Troy doing this that I cannot say 'no' to."

Shauna rubbed his shoulder. "Are you okay?"

"In a minute, yes." Dietrich sighed again. "Has Troy ever gone caving before?"

"I don't think so."

"That's not going to stop him."

"The moment you tell him that you're in, nothing is going to stop him."

"You are right about that." Dietrich tried to comprehend what he was about to do, and that was go find Troy to tell him that he would indeed go with him to find this cache of gold. As he headed outside, he whispered a quiet prayer that he wouldn't end up regretting this.

Troy tried not to let himself get too upset about both his wife and his best friend arguing against going to find the gold. He knew getting obsessed with gold never led to good things. Shauna was right—they didn't really need the money. But, he did want to give something to Hitch, Tully, Moffitt, and Dietrich. He knew they would put it to good use.

As for his own use, if Shauna didn't want to expand the ranch, Troy could think of a couple of things. More guns and horses came to mind. Getting his truck tuned up. Taking that trip to Greece to see where my grandparents came from. Troy had been thinking about that trip ever since mentioning it to Dietrich about nine years ago. He knew if he wanted to spend a decent amount of time in Greece to learn as much as he could, he would need money.

He had been cleaning out the horses' stalls since he left the house. The horses themselves were all out grazing, leaving him alone in the barn until he heard a familiar baritone whispering things in German, followed by a heavy sigh. Troy looked up to see Dietrich stopping by him with a very defeated expression on his face.

"Troy, I have come to tell you…" Dietrich paused, and closed his eyes. "Yes, I will… help you find this damn gold."

"What made you change your mind?" Troy asked.

Dietrich shrugged. "I know you are not doing this for selfish reasons."

"Nope. Never was."

"So, we will… do this together."

"Yeah."

"You do not sound happy."

"What, you thought I'd bounce off the walls because you decided to help me?"

"That image may have crossed my mind. I think you may be a little o—" Dietrich stopped when Troy glared at him.

"Go ahead, finish your sentence," Troy said.

"Uh… old… for bouncing off the walls."

"I'm not that old. I can still get around on my own. Can still get on and off a horse easy enough. I can do a lot of the work around the ranch on my own."

"Really? Shauna said you have been throwing your back out with increasing frequency."

"I have not."

"I am more inclined to believe her."

"Why?"

"Because I have observed she tends to use common sense and reason more often than you do."

Troy sighed, not wanting to feed this particular conversation anymore. He dumped a shovelful of horse manure into a wheelbarrow. Just be glad he wants to help now. "Alright. We'll head out tomorrow. Hopefully, we're not too late."

"Should we not get supplies first?"

"We are getting supplies first. One thing I will say is that I'm glad you're coming with me out of everyone else."

"Why?"

"Because you're skinny and can fit in places I can't."

"I suppose that is a fair point." Dietrich was quiet for a moment. "What will you do if you find people at this site?"

"Let them go. I don't want this becoming a brawl."

"You? Give up?"

"This isn't war. These are probably going to be my own neighbors looking for this gold. It's not right, nor is it worth it."

"Fair enough."

"Like I said before, I'm okay with not being the one to find the gold. If we don't find it, that's okay. We'll come home and that'll be the end of it."

"Alright. I think that is the best way we can go about this."

Troy nodded. "Thanks, Dietrich." He reached behind a stack of haybales to grab a shovel. "Here. May as well work if you're gonna be in here."

"I told Shauna I would help make lunch."

"I have lunch." Troy held up a carrot.

"That is just a carrot."

"Well, it's not an apple, is it?"

Dietrich sighed. "No, I mean, you need more than that."

"That's why I brought two." Troy pulled the other carrot out of his pocket.

"I… okay, Troy."

"You want one?"

"No."

"Alright, more for me." Troy put the second carrot back in his pocket before taking a bite out of the first.

"Well, you can eat carrots and clean horse stalls. I will go have a proper lunch with Shauna."

Troy shrugged. "Suit yourself."

He was left alone in the barn for a while, gnawing on the carrots and thinking about how he was going to go about finding that cash of gold bars. Part of him wondered if starting sooner would be a good idea. He knew there was likely no shortage of people who would be interested in finding it. It's probably too late already. You may as well give up. That was nonsense. Troy wasn't going to give up. There was always a chance, even if he had to make one. He just had to figure out how, and whether or not it would be necessary.

When he finished cleaning the stalls, Troy began heading back to the house to see what Dietrich and Shauna were doing. He could smell something sweet cooking through the open kitchen window, and entered the house to find Shauna had put a tray of cinnamon rolls in the oven.

"Hello, Sam," she said.

"Hi, sweetheart," Troy replied. He looked at Dietrich, who was eating some of the leftover chicken from the night before. "I thought you two were making lunch."

"This is lunch," Dietrich replied.

"Yeah, but you don't 'make' leftovers. You stick them in the microwave and push a few buttons. Nothing fancy to it." Troy gave him a curious look. "Or was 'make lunch' code for 'make cinnamon rolls.'"

"No." Dietrich's face reddened.

"Of course not," Shauna said.

"Right." Troy folded his arms over his chest.

"There's nothing wrong with leftovers, Sam, and you don't need to interrogate him over what he eats."

Dietrich laughed. "Troy could not interrogate me if he tried!"

"That's because you're too much of a smartass for me to interrogate," Troy said. "I was a pain to interrogate, too."

Dietrich's smile faded, and he rolled his eyes. "Very much so."

Troy squeezed his friend's shoulder, then changed the topic. "Shauna? What do you know about the cave that the gold is supposedly in?"

"I know it's dangerous and I don't like the idea of you going there."

"Yeah, but we have an advantage of you actually knowing the place."

"I don't actually know the cave, Sam. I know what just about everyone else in Douglas knows—it's a pit cave, people have died in it, and there are rotting structures left behind from when people attempted to mine in it."

"Do you think that'll keep other people away?"

"It might. Knowing you, you're going no matter what I say." Shauna looked at Dietrich. "At least you're going with him."

"I will do my best," Dietrich said.

"I expect nothing but your best."

Troy sighed. "So, maybe we have a chance that we'll be the only ones who actually attempt to go after the gold."

"It's a huge 'maybe,'" Shauna said. "You're crazy enough to try."

"Yes, sweetheart, as a matter of fact, I am crazy enough to try!" Troy gave his wife a disappointed look. "You know what? Can I say that I'm a little upset that you don't believe I can do this?"

"I'm upset that you think this is a good idea!" Shauna snapped.

"You said earlier today that I could do it if someone went with me, and someone is going with me!" Troy gestured to Dietrich. "So, what is your problem?"

"It's dangerous, Sam! The more I think about it, the less I want you to go!"

"Could we not argue, please?" Dietrich asked with his mouth full.

"This is far less dangerous than anything I did during the war!" Troy said.

"That was a necessary risk!" Shauna replied. "This is completely unnecessary, and you know it!"

"Alright, that is enough!" Dietrich stood, separating Troy and Shauna from each other. "You are both being a bit irrational about this, now stop."

Troy's frustration was quick to fade. The last thing he wanted to be doing was arguing with his wife. He looked past Dietrich's thin frame at Shauna. "Sorry. I know… you're only worried about my safety."

"Exactly." Shauna sighed. "I should have more faith in you."

"Good." Dietrich touched both Troy and Shauna's shoulders. "I am glad we resolved that." He turned to Troy. "You are not a bachelor anymore. You will be more mindful of the risks you take."

Troy hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

Dietrich turned to Shauna. "Like I said to you, I will do my best to make sure your husband is kept on track. You will not have to worry about him. Leave the worrying to me."

"I'll always worry," Shauna said. "But I appreciate you trying to help."

"Just don't be a mother hen," Troy muttered.

"I make no promises," Dietrich said. He sat back down to finish his lunch.

Troy faced Shauna. "We'll be fine. I know this is dangerous, but I promise I won't do anything stupid—"

Dietrich snorted. "You cannot promise that."

Troy roughly messed with Dietrich's hair. "Anyway… Shauna, I will come back. That's a promise."

"If there's one thing I know about you, it's that you don't break promises," Shauna said. "No matter how impossible it may seem. Just… be careful, don't get yourself injured. Or arrested." She motioned to Dietrich. "Same with you."

"We'll head out tomorrow. Not sure how long we'll be gone. Hopefully, it won't take too long to find."

Shauna nodded. "So, I have a night to enjoy you before you go looking for caves with Dietrich."

"Yeah." Troy grinned. "I could make tonight special for you."

Dietrich gave them both a concerned look. "Am I going to have to leave the house for a little while so you two can—"

"No, that's not what I meant. I was going to offer to do dinner."

"That is even worse, because you cannot cook."

"I can use a grill."

"Sam, you really don't have to do anything special tonight," Shauna said. "We can stick to our usual plans. Entertain Hans."

"Entertain him? That's easy. I can mess something up and he'll sit there, laugh, and critique me for hours."

"Are you sure you are not getting me mixed up with Moffitt?" Dietrich asked.

"You both have a tendency to pick on me whenever I screw something up. The only difference is that he doesn't laugh. He just looks really annoyed."

"We do not pick on you. We merely point out what you did wrong and try to offer solutions."

"In the form of sarcasm."

"Yes."

Troy shook his head and turned to Shauna, sighing. "Entertain him. Yeah. I won't be surprised if our trip to the cave will be massively entertaining for him."

That evening didn't consist of much in the entertaining department. Dietrich wasn't particularly well-versed in American television, but he observed that it seemed every other fictional show was a Western. He had noted out loud the previous year, while on a road trip with Troy, that every Western seemed exactly the same, and he was going to note it again that night.

Troy glanced at Dietrich after he voiced his complaint. "Every private eye show is the same, too. That's the only other thing on."

"There are also sitcoms, but I'm not sure Hans will like those," Shauna said.

"A what?" Dietrich asked.

"Sitcom. Situation comedy," Troy explained.

"Oh. Truthfully, I do not need a television show to make me laugh when I am friends with you."

"He's got a point," Shauna said.

Troy turned to his wife. "I love you, you know that?"

"I do." Shauna snuggled up to him and planted a big kiss on his cheek.

Dietrich resumed his focus on both the television and the bowl of popcorn in front of him, letting Troy and Shauna goof around with each other.

They didn't turn everything off and head to bed until about an hour later. Dietrich had a feeling Troy would wake him up early so they could get a head start on looking for that cave, so he tried to fall asleep as quickly as possible. That wasn't particularly easy, as a part of Dietrich was a little annoyed at the fact that his ideas for spending time here had been completely shattered. I had been told during training that no plan survives contact with the enemy. No plan survives contact with Troy, either, and he is no longer the enemy.

Fortunately, Dietrich managed to fall asleep once he found a comfortable position. When he next awoke, he could smell bacon frying and coffee brewing. At least that means Troy is not making us both skip breakfast. He made an attempt to fix his hair before getting dressed and heading downstairs to find Troy distracting Shauna while she was trying to make breakfast.

"I will throw these eggs on you if you don't go sit down, you little gremlin!" Shauna snapped. She pushed Troy away when he tried poking her again, and turned to see Dietrich. "Good morning, Hans. I'm so sorry if we woke you up."

"It is alright," Dietrich said. "Is the coffee ready?"

"Just about. Go ahead and get yourself a mug."

"Do you need help?"

"You can take Sam away so I can finish this."

"I'm going to miss you today, sweetheart," Troy said.

"That doesn't give you permission to be annoying. Go sit."

Dietrich watched them for a moment before getting a mug out of one of the cabinets. "When we are finished with breakfast, what is our plan for the day, Troy?" he asked.

"Well, I've got rope in the garage that we can bring. Shovels, gloves, flashlights, stuff like that. We'll need pickaxes and some other things."

Dietrich stared at Troy for a moment. "Do I need to be concerned about what 'some other things' may entail?"

"I don't think so. Why? What do you think it means?"

"Sticks of dynamite."

Troy looked like a lightbulb went off in his head. "Actually, that's a great idea!"

Dietrich suddenly felt a sense of dread sinking in the pit of his stomach. "Troy… I… doubt that is a great idea."

"For this particular situation, it's a great idea." Troy left the house to start packing things in the back of his truck.

Shauna looked at Dietrich as he continued to ponder what just happened. "You have no one but yourself to blame for this, Hans."

"I… I am aware of that." Dietrich slowly sank into a chair at the table. "Just like with convincing myself that actually going to find the gold was a worthwhile endeavor." He glanced at Shauna while she poured his coffee. "Why do I feel like I am being punished for something?"

"I don't know. What did you do?"

"That is what I am trying to figure out. Sometime, somewhere, I committed a sin so egregious that it warranted being stuck with Troy while he wields explosives as a punishment."

"You? I doubt it. You're much too sweet, Hans." Shauna slid a plate of fried eggs, bacon, and toast in front of him, as well as a smaller plate with two cinnamon rolls. "Well, eat up. You've got a busy, chaotic day ahead of you."

"Thank you. I will do my best to maintain my sanity."

Troy returned a little while later. "Alright, everything's ready to go, Dietrich. We'll make a stop in town, and then we'll be on our way to the cave."

"Eat your breakfast first, Sam, before it gets cold." Shauna gently nudged Troy over to a chair.

"Okay, okay. You know, cold eggs actually aren't that bad."

Dietrich made a face, but he couldn't really consider himself to be surprised at such a statement anymore.

"It's like egg salad without the mayonnaise and everything else."

"I feel like Tully would have something to say about that," Dietrich said. "That, and nobody makes egg salad with fried eggs."

"That's because no one's ever tried." Troy looked deep in thought for a moment. "Maybe we can try when we come home."

"No, you can try when we come home. I am not touching whatever abomination you create."

"What if it comes out good?"

"Your definition of 'good' in terms of food differs quite heavily from the rest of the world, so my answer is still 'absolutely not.'"

"Fine. More for me."

Dietrich was glad he didn't have to help Troy load anything into the truck, as he imagined the garage was a disaster again. Once he was in the passenger seat, Dietrich realized there was no turning back. They were on this quest and would see it to completion. Sometimes, he respected Troy's extreme dedication. Other times, he wished Troy could comprehend when it was time to step back a little. Still, Dietrich kept quiet as they drove into Douglas in search of pickaxes.

The clerk was quick to guess that they were after the gold. Troy looked over his shoulder at Dietrich, an uncertain expression on his face, then turned back to the clerk. "Yeah. We are. Why?"

"Because a couple of guys were here yesterday looking for pickaxes and shovels," the clerk replied. "Rumor has it that a descendent of the guy who originally hid the bars has come to town looking to claim it."

"I mean, if he gets to it first, then it's fair. That's what the paper said."

"In a perfect world, yeah, but not everyone's going to play this fair."

"We'll watch our backs," Troy said. "Thanks."

"Good luck, sir. You seem like someone that gold should go to."

"I have a few friends who could use a little extra cash. That's where my money's going." Troy handed a pickaxe to Dietrich, then the two left the shop.

"I feel like having a descendent thrown into the mix will make things complicated," Dietrich said.

"Not really. That gold had been stolen off a train before being taken here to Wyoming. Any claim by a descendent of the train robber won't be valid. He'll have to find it like everyone else."

"I just hope this person is nothing like that train robber." Dietrich placed his pickaxe in the back of the truck, then got back in the passenger seat.

"That was nearly a hundred years ago. I highly doubt he's carried the tradition."

"Well, try not to jinx it, Troy."

The cave was roughly forty miles slightly northwest of Douglas, hidden deep within a remote and hilly forested area. The sound of cicadas drowned out the birdsong and breeze. Being July, it was hot, but both men had dealt with far worse heat. This was pleasant compared to the dry, dusty, oppressive heat of North Africa, though Dietrich joked that Moffitt would probably consider this to be cold.

Troy found a flat, grassy area to park, getting as close as they could to the entrance of the cave. They would have to walk a couple of miles, through the woods and up a few hills before reaching the cave, all while carrying their supplies. At least there wasn't a single cloud to be seen. They both had a shovel, a pickaxe, and a long length of rope over their shoulders. Troy carried more things in a backpack, while Dietrich had only a flashlight clipped to his belt. They both had holstered handguns on their belts as well. Dietrich would always have a soft spot for the Walther P38 he carried during the war, but the spare M1911 Troy let him borrow wasn't a terrible choice.

This is certainly a workout, Dietrich thought. Walking around Hammelburg when the weather was nice was nothing compared to this. "How much further, Troy?"

Troy didn't respond at first, then he called out, "I found the entrance!"

Despite the pain tightening in his legs, Dietrich jogged up next to Troy. There was a massive hole in the ground, partly covering by long grass and a few twisted roots. "I guess since the grass and roots are still here, we are the first people to make our descent into the cave."

"Yeah," Troy said with a grin. "Okay, you start tying rope to the tree trunk here. I'll start clearing this crap out of the way." He pulled some of the grass away and shined his flashlight down into the cave. "It's a little more horizontal than I was expecting, but that's still not an easy climb without rope."

"Can you see how far down it is?" Dietrich asked.

"It's deep. Hopefully, we brought enough rope."

"'Hopefully.'" Dietrich sighed. "That is not very reassuring, Troy."

"We'll be fine."

Dietrich didn't take much comfort in that statement, either. He made sure the knot of rope around the tree was as tight as it could be. Even with their supplies, they weren't heavy enough to rip the tree out of the ground, and they planned on carrying the gold up in separate trips using several sturdy bags designed to carry rocks and concrete.

Once the grass and roots were cleared away, Troy turned to Dietrich. "Got that rope secured?"

"As good as it will get," Dietrich replied.

"Okay. You ready?"

"No, but I am with you all the way."

Troy clapped Dietrich's shoulder. "I know you are, buddy. You wanna go first?"

On one hand, Dietrich really didn't want to go first. On the other, if there was anything dangerous at the bottom, he would rather get himself hurt than have Troy get hurt. Of course, your conscience wins out. "Alright. I will go first."

Troy handed him a pair of gloves. "Be careful. Go slow."

"I am not the one who needs to be told that." Dietrich put the gloves on while looking down into the inky-black maw of the cave. He swallowed hard before sitting on the edge, then took the rope and turned his body to slowly lower himself into the cave. He braced his boots against the rock wall, then took his flashlight off his belt, turned it on, and put the handle in his mouth to look down. They always say, do not look down… and here I am, looking down. Hundreds of small knots started tightening in his stomach. It was getting cooler the deeper he went into the cave. He couldn't hear anything apart from his own ever-increasing heartbeat.

"See anything?" Troy called down.

Dietrich took the flashlight out from between his teeth. "No, not yet!" He put the flashlight back in his jaws, then suddenly had the feeling of no longer being enclosed in a tight space. He looked around, hearing dripping water, and saw that he had entered a huge, expansive chamber. Looking down, he could see the bottom—and the black sockets of an animal's skull. Dietrich felt a chill shoot down his spine. "Uh… Troy?"

"Yeah?"

"I… s-see the bottom. We have just enough rope." Dietrich was careful not to step on the skull when he made his way down. A few sweeps of his flashlight revealed more bones of unfortunate animals that had fallen into the cave, and were unable to get back out. He gulped again, and stayed close to the rope as Troy made his descent. We will get back out. Just have faith, do not do anything stupid. We will be alright.

Author's Note: I had wanted to include a reference to Troy, Shauna, and Dietrich watching either "Rawhide" or "Laramie" as a nod to Texaslass2000, who's mentioned both shows positively on her blog, but this story takes place a year before they aired, so that wouldn't have worked.