Jarbidge - Smoke over devil canyon

https://forum.literotica.com/showthread.php?t=478541 Link to the ooc thread

The town of Jarbidge - 1879

Jarbidge is a small town in the state of Nevada. The peaple of Jarbidge mostly make a living from cattle in one way or another, but there are also horse breeders and sheep farms. As the railway haven't reached the town the ranchers sell their cattle, horses and sheep to Southern Idaho and Northern Nevada.

Jarbidge is a typical western town. It have two saloons. A bed and breakfast, no hotel at this time. A jail. A barber. Untypical for this kind of towns Jarbidge even have an experienced doctor. A shop that have most of the things needed in a western town and a whore house.

The outskirts of Jarbidge

The stranger tilted his stetson at the woman who looked up at him on his black and white horse. He smiled politely down at her.

"The name is Nathan Crowe m'am. Do you mind if i water my horse and maybe fill my stomach."

He dismounts and stretches his muscles before he take a good look around him. It was a small ranch. Much to be done here. That fence need repairs, as will the roof of the small stable. No animals that he can see, except some chickens running around.

He turns to to the woman. "I am looking for work. You know if any ranch is hiring?" He tips back his stetson as he awaits her answer.

Sarah Chase

Sarah looked out the window and saw a cloud of dust approaching her house.
She assumed it was the postman, he was the only one who ever came out to the Bar C. He always stayed just long enough to help her with some chores and have a drink. He said his wife told him to make sure she had everything she needed. He was a kind man, and always a gentleman.

All the townsfolk seemed to be nice, whenever she went into town, the wives always pulled her in for tea & gossip. They felt bad for her, being a widow and all, with each visit they tried to convince her to sell and move back to town where they could watch over her. Each time she refused, wanting to keep her spread as long as she could. Which according to the records at the bank, wouldn't be long. She'd think of something though.... she had to.


The rider approached, this however, was not the postman.....

She watched as the man dismounted. She backs up a step towards the door when she hears the man introduces himself and says something about food work.
Sarah looked around her, there was so much that needed to be done, and she couldn't do it alone, but she also didn't have the money to pay anyone. Besides this man was a stranger, and she was here alone.

She fiddled with her plain wedding band behind her back. She looked into his eyes and caught her breath. He looked bone tired and in need of a good meal.


"Forgive me, I don't get many visitors out this way. I can't offer you work, maybe my husband will have something for you when he returns. He'll be back shortly, I can offer you a hot meal though."

Sarah hoped the comment about a husband would put any other thoughts out of his head. She showed him where the water barrel was so he could get some of the grime off of him. Then went inside to set another place at her lonely table.

Nathan knocked on the door and she let him in the small house. He looked at the table- mistakingly set only for two.

Nathan unsaddles his horse and takes him over to the trough filled with water. He takes a rag from his backpack and starts to wipe the flanks of the horse. When he are pleased with the result he takes out a apple and picks up some hay to feed the horse with.

He leaves the horse to drink from the trough as he starts to clean up as good as he can from dust and dirt. After he have washed his hands he knocks on the door to the small house and is invited inside. He takes of his hat and takes a look at the two plates on the table but say nothing about her obvious lie that her husband should be there shortly.

"It looks like you have in need of some serious repairs." He says as he sits down at the table. He sniffs in the air and smiles widely at her. "Smells deliciously. If your husband won't object i can work for food like this." He places his stetson in his lap. "I have been on horseback a long time and looking for a place to work." He takes a long look at her and smiles.

Sarah looks around nervously. How would she get herself out of this one. "Well, my husband should be back any time now, we'll see what he says. I hope you like the food. The chicken is fresh, and the vegetables are from my garden out back."

Sarah shut her mouth before she started babbling. She tended to do that when she was nervous.

She bent over the cookstove and took the roasted chicken from it. "Please sit, Mr. Crowe. I'll have the food on the table shortly."

As she brought the plates to the table, it was then she realized her mistake- she had only set the table for two. He had to know now that there would be no one else joining them at the table. She looked at him as he sat down. If he knew, he wasn't saying anything.

She thought about his offer. She wasn't sure if she could feed two people, but he couldn't learn how desperate she was becoming. If the fence was fixed and the roof repaired she could buy some livestock with some of the little money she had left. Anna's father had agreed to sell her some milking cows and some steer to get her started.

She watched the man dig into his food. Maybe this could work.

Porivo

Porivo wandered though the hills. Jarbidge was just over the next ridge. Strung over the girls back was a few small pelts and some flecks of tourquiose. The clan had gone though a rough spell and needed food. disease had taken the lives of many,too many. Many more would not survive the winter without a few more resources. This is where the pelt would come in. She would trade for supplies and maybe a bit of the white man's medicine. There were too many sick for her to help at all and she felt helpless.

She made her way into town. This was the first time she had ever set foot here. Mostly it was forbidden to wander her but it was necessary. she made her way to the mecantile and walked in. she jumped at the sound of aclick from behind the counter. The merchant had pulled out a pistol. Porivo took this as a sign to leave imediately. She turned and walked from the town heading out towards a few of the known ranches. A few of the ranchers like her company. She knew the hill well and often showed the ranchers new roads and ways to live out in the open.

Wandering around...well, lost actually

Karridan rode lazily in the saddle. His hat was at a low angle and he looked for all the world oblivious to where he was and his surroundings. In truth, he was brooding. Nothing looked familiar and he didn't have the faintest notion of where he was.

He heaved a dejected sigh.

"Not that it matters," he muttered to himself. This is what he had wanted. To get as far away as possible from Texas. To a place where nobody would know who he was or what he had been.

Biscuit wickered and Karridan was suddenly alert in the saddle. He looked up and spotted the girl walking a trail in the hills. She didn't seem to notice him at first, but that wouldn't last. She was indian, but not of a people he recognised. Not unusual since his experience was limited to the Comanche, the Kiowa and the Apache peoples...and to fighting them.

A fleeting memory of death and his past deeds distracted him, but he forced the image away and dismounted.

He approached her carefully, making sure his hands were clear of his guns.
"Howdy," he said, "I'm hoping against all odds you speak english. I seem to lost...well, lost implies I'm headed somewhere. I'm not heading anywhere in particular. I just don't know where I am."

Tag for Porivo

Porivo jumped at the sound of hoofs coming down the trail. She watched cautiously as the figure approached.

A young man on horseback approched

"Howdy.....I'm hoping against all odds you speak english. I seem to lost...well, lost implies I'm headed somewhere. I'm not heading anywhere in particular. I just don't know where I am."

She smiled and adjusted the pelts over her shoulder and readjusted the pouch in which she carried the stones.

"The town is behind and to the south of here..." She gestured from the direction and discrimination she had just come from. " and there are ranches within a days walk from this spot in any direction you go."

She stoped for a moment and sat on a boulder.

"Within the hill there are a few caves in which to camp, and to the north is my village about two day from her on foot, but I sugest not going in for sickness has spread like the fire on the summer plains."

Chance Encounter

Karridan nodded, "Thank you, kindly."

He studied the careful and proud way she held herself. As if she was ready for anything. It wasn't so much fear as it was wariness.

He looked behind her towards the direction of the town and then at the pelts she carried. His mind quickly ran through the details of what she had revealed about her people and he puzzled out the situation.

"Are those for trade?" he motioned towards the pelts.

Sheriff Carlysle

Theodore Carlysle walked along the mainstreet of Jarbridge with a bit of a spring in his step. His six-shooters jangled at his side and the freshly polished badge that rested on his lapel gleamed in the hot sun that burned on the town. Since taking over as the head lawman for the county, he'd begun to look upon the small town as a source of pride. He'd come west in the hopes of finding his writing legs, perhaps penning a great novel about the new frontier. Instead, much to his delight, he had found himself as real, no-foolin' Western lawman, perhaps suited to be a character in the new frontier. Sure, there was little law to actually enforce and the presence of the guns on his hip made him far more nervous than confident but Theodore was sure that he'd grow into his job.

Theodore tipped his cap to one of the women passing by.

"Morning Sheriff" the old woman nodded

"And to you Mrs. Mulligan" Theodore responded cheerfully. Life out here suited him to no end. If he'd been back in Boston he'd be sitting behind a desk somewhere, either in a government building or at his family's shipyard. No, Theodore thought as he took a deep breath of fresh desert air, that was no life for a gentleman such as himself.

"Yeeeeeeeee-hah"

The relative tranquility of the day was broken in by a trio of riders roaring into town. They were hooping and hollering and firing their pistols into the air. The assembled people on the street stared at them, and then to Sheriff Carlysle. The men made their way to the local saloon and, just before they dismounted, is when Sheriff Carlysle had caught up with them.

"Now see here, fellows" Theo said, his refined Boston accent an unmistakable mark of his voice "I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to settle yourselves"

The three men looked at him for a second and then burst into teals of laughter. Theodore continued, as this was a fairly common reaction.

"As you may or may not know, the good people at the county offices have recently passed an ordinance against the firing of pistols within town limits. I'm afraid I'll have to confiscate your weapons" Theodore said, trying to muster some measure of steel in his voice. The three men continued to laugh and dismounted. Theodore noticed that all three were considerably larger than he was.

"Now see here, tenderfoot" The largest of the men approached Theodore. His clothes were dirty, his teeth were stained and there was the unmistakable odor of manure emanating from seemingly every part of him. "We just got done gettin' paid, we're having ourselves a good time and no bullshit, eastern wannabe-lawman is going to be takin' our pistols. So git fucked"

At that, the three men burst into further laughter. Theodore could feel the eyes of the assembled townfolk upon him. Despite his being somewhat intimidated, he stood in front of them again

"While I appreciate your ebullience and have no problem with you men enjoying your pay and spending it at many of Jarbridge's fine establishments, I do nevertheless have to take issue with the manner of your entry into town. I'll let you off with a warning this time but, in the future, should you choose to visit us I'll thank you to be somewhat more-"

Theodore's speech was quite rudely interrupted by the fists of the man he'd confronted smacking against his jaw

~Some time later~

Theodore stirred from a rather interesting dream. His eyes opened to the harsh glare of the sun and he found himself on his backside, resting behind his office. He put a hand to the jaw that ached so and came away with a hand stained with the blood that had spilled from his nose. He remembered his encounter with the men and stood up quickly, still somewhat dizzy. A quick hand to his hip let him know that the men had stolen his guns. Theodore let out a long, heavy sigh. They'd left him his badge at least.

"Are those for trade?"

She glanced at the pelt and then shifted off her shoulder. Slowly she set them on the boulder next to her.

"I hope for trade, medicine is needed badly,but food as well as..."she stopped realizing that she had said to much. She hopped off the boulder and picked up her things. "I have told you too much. I must go. The sky will be dark soon. you should find shelter for it gets cold at night compared to the hot days."

"But," was all Karridan managed to get out before she disappeared down the trail. He mounted up and considered going after her. He discarded the idea. She had no reason to trust him. She was probably wiser not to.

He turned Biscuit in the direction of the town.

~~a little while later~~

As Karridan entered the town of Jarbridge, it seemed there was some kind of festival in progress. Several men were firing their guns in the air and they were clearly drunk.

Karridan rode on and dismounted in front of the sheriff's office. He noticed a disheveled looking man coming from behind the building. Karridan noticed the blood, the badge and the missing side iron. He sighed.

"Good evening, Sheriff," he said carefully.

Nathan Crowe

Nathan ate with good appetite and when his plate was empty he looked at sarah with a pleased smile. "A grand meal m'am. Your husband is a lucky man." He pushes back the chair and stood up. "If he decides the help is needed i can be found in Jarbidge."

He smiles at her as he dons his stetson and tips it to her. Nathan opens the door and walks over to his horse. He saddles it and mounts up. "Good day m'am." He waves at her and steers his way towards the town of Jarbidge.

Sara watched as Nathan saddled his horse. She fiddled her hands nervously in her apron. She couldn't let him go into town. There would be no way to get him back if he did. The town knew she was a widow, and her "husband" could not make inquiries as to his whereabouts.


"Nathan wait!" she cried as she ran towards him as he began to ride away, "Please stay. I'm sure my husband won't mind."

Nathan Crowe

Nathan held in the reins of his horse as he heard her cry. He narrowed his eyes as he saw her coming running towards him. There was a desperate tone in her voice as she called to him to stop. It was the desperation that forced him to stay. He dismounted and held out his arrms to her as she approached. "Whoa, i will stay. If your husband won't object?"

He was almost certain there was no husband but if she felt better to let him think otherwise, who was he to object? She obviously needed help on the ranch and he was availible.

"I will start right away with the stable roof." He said to her and tipped his hat with a smile.

"There is so much work that needs to be done here, I'm sure he won't mind the help." she lied. "You're sure that the arrangement will be to your liking? I - I mean we don't have any money to pay you."

Sarah looked around her, anywhere but at this man who stood before her. She knew that if she did he'd see the longing in her eyes. It had been so long.

"I will start right away with the stable roof." He said to her and tipped his hat with a smile.

She looked up at him, and smiled back. She touched his arm, "Thank you Mr. Crowe. Thank you."

She watched as he walked away. Suddenly, she wondered where he would bunk. The barn was hardly fit for an animal, let alone a man.
Well, she thought, he'd been a gentleman until now- she was confident he would be later. She stood there with her arms wrapped around herself. There was a part of her that hoped he wouldn't.

Nathan Crowe

Nathan drew of his shirt and threw it to the ground. It was dirty and dusty before so a little more did not matter. He kept his stetson on. A cowboy never take of his hat except when he are inside or going to bed. He was sweating profoundly as he stood on the roof. The repair work would take more time than he had thought and he climbed down from the stable roof and walked over to the water barrel and took of his hat and dropped his head in the barrel. The water was not cool but it felt refreshing. He took a deep breath as he started to climb up on the roof to continue his work.

Sarah watched the handsome stranger as she cleared the table and washed the dishes in the bucket of water. He was a pleasure to watch. His muscles rippling as he repaired the roof. Light was beginning to fade, so she lit a candle and finished her task.

She walked out the door to dump the dish water just as his head came up from the barrel of water. She watched as he shook the water from his hair.
She gasped at the sheer manliness of this man who would help save her ranch.

Quickly she ran to get a towel and some fresh water for him to drink. As she hurried across the yard, their eyes met. He stood perfectly still waiting for her to come to him. She handed him the water and began to pat his wet skin.

"I wouldn't want you to catch a chill, doing all this for me." she said, not realizing her mistake. Her dead husband long forgotten.

Nathan Crowe

Nathan saw her come and stood still waiting for her. His eyes lit up as he saw the water in her hand. He accepted it with a thanks and started to emptied the glass in a few gulps. He tensed a little as she started to pat his wet skin with the towel she had in her other hand.

"I wouldn't want you to catch a chill, doing all this for me." Nathan felt his body respond to her touch. Still she claimed to be a married woman, even though he suspected otherwise.

"I think i have forgotten to ask what your name is m'am." He says as she finishes up drying him. He manages to get his body under control again and hands the glass back to her. He smiles. "Thank you for the water."

Sarah blushed a deep red. She took a step back and tried to get her breathing under control.

She held out her hand, "Sarah, Sarah Chase. And you're welcome Mr. Crowe."
Sarah felt his hand close in hers. His grip firm, his hands chafed. She had visions of his hands all over her body. She blushed an even deeper red.

"Um, it's starting to get dark. Shouldn't you quit for tonight?"

Porivo watched as he rode away. Somthing about him comfused her. He had been kind but too many times before had the white man shown disrespect for her people and their ways of living in the harsh lands.

She stood for a while before heading off to the hills. The cave that she camped in stood waiting for her. She set her things down in the farthest corner before heading to the pit where she made fire. There were still a few embers smoldering in the bottom. This was a lucky day. The fire started up easily and the cave bgan to warm up.

Quickly she unrolled a small blanket next to the fire and sat upon it. She pulled out a small pouch and poured the contents into a small bowl. In the bowl were some herbs and dreid cactus. Her stash of medicine was running low. She would have to try the town again and hope that the unkindness that she found earlier would not be the same.

With that thought she threw dirt on the fire extinguishing it the best she could. She gathered up her pelts and stones andone eith her bedroll. There were still a few hours before it got dark and she would need the time. At a sprint it would only take about an hour less if she left the bedroll but it might be needed if she got stuck sometwhere.

Seh took off at a full run. Running was nothing for her. She had been a runner since she was a small child. Her mother had always told her that she had run before she had ever walked.

The thoughts of her family raced though her heard. Both of her older sisters and her parents had already died from the smallpox outbreak that spring and her younger brother now was sick with the same ailment. For some reason these ailment did not affect Parivo.

Town was just ahead. she could hear the whoops and hollars of the night croud as she entered though the gates to the town. Glances from the town folk grazed her way but she was not about to give up again. She had come too far and worked too hard to let the village down. She had to save her brother. He was all that was left of her family. The rest of the tribe needed her al well. The medicine woman was getting too old to make the journy and to care for everyone alone. Parivo was the next in line for the position and would not fail.

She made her way to the mercantile once more and entered with her head held high.

"I would like to trade for medicine." She told the store keeper.

"I told ya no, now git"

"I would like to trade" she tried again

"No git out,you'll drive all my customer out."

THe store owner waved his arms but she stood her ground.

"If I have ta tell ya one mo' time to git I'll call the sherif on ya and ya won like that much."

She stood no moving.

"I want to trade"

Nathan Crowe

Nathan looks up at the sky and smiles. "You are probably right Mrs. Chase." He turns to her with a question in his eyes. "Where can i bunk for the night?" He smiles at her. "I can sleep in the stable. Not the first time i have slept under such circumstances." He picks up his shirt once again and dusts it of against his legs before he takes it on.

"No, no, no. That wouldn't be right. You're doing so much for me, I couldn't possibly let you sleep out here. Please sleep inside the house. It's not much, but it's warm and more comfortable than this."

Sarah led the way back to the house... wondering exactly where he was going to sleep.

She stepped in through the door and stopped short. Nathan not knowing she was going to stop walked right into her. He took her arms in his so she wouldn't fall forward.

She turned to him, their bodies touching. She looked up at him, "Thank you Mr. Crowe- for everything."

Nathan Crowe

Hmm, damn it? Nathan felt her body against his own. It was to crowded and he did not really know what to do about it. He felt like kissing her and wondered how she would react to that. He looks down at her with raised eyebrows. "Well. It is my pleasure." He got out. How could he feel such desire for a woman he just met. She was not even dressed as a whore who knew just how to tease a man. A with hell with it he thought just before his mouth covered hers in a kiss.

Sarah watched his eyes grow dark. His mouth lowered to hers. His lips were hard against hers. Her body responded immediatly to his deepening kiss. She parted her lips and felt his tongue slide into her mouth. Timidly, her tongue danced with his. Her arms wrapped around his back pulling her tightly against her now heaving busom.

Her pulse quickened as the kiss deepened. He pressed her close. She could feel him through their clothes. She moaned against his lips, her body melting into his......

Nathan Crowe

Their kiss deepens as Nathan stumbles further into the room with Sarah in his arms. This may not be the wisest thing he had done in his life but it sure was not the worst. He can feel his balance give away as they fall down on her bed. Without any conscious thought his hand cups her breast through her dress and his mouth and tongue keeps exploring the sweetness of hers.