Snowbound Ch. 02

So Abby followed Shane to his bar. It was tiny, just a counter and a few seats. There was an oven where Shane cooked greasy food, such as bacon and eggs, hardtack bread. Abby thought it could use some cleaning even if it was just managed by a single guy.

"The bedroom's in the back. You and I will be sharing it." said Shane. Abby sighed. She didn't expect to have her own room. But, she didn't expect she'd be sleeping so close to a complete stranger...especially since that stranger was a man.

Abigail carried her luggage to the room. She didn't think it was possible but the bedroom was even dirtier than the bar. Her mother would have called it a pigsty but Abby didn't think that a pig would live here. Pigs had standards, Shane didn't.

"Here's a broom." said Shane. He took the broom from a cobweb ridden corner.

Abby knew if she took the broom. She'd be the maid and chef at Shane's bar forever. Abby hadn't come from Boston to do that. Boston was full of busty barmaids, the beer was probably better there too. She had come from the East Coast to the western frontier to teach and to seek new opportunities. So Abby deflected. She was determined not to do Shane's bidding for as long as she could.

"When will Gavin get back?" asked Abby.

"Why do you care so much about that ugly bastard? Asked Shane. " He has that huge scar across his face, a gimpy leg and one eye. I'm surprised that the Union Pacfic even hired him. You think he wouldn't be able to see that far in front of him and be able to drive the train."

Abby shrugged. Gavin's mangled face had been the first thing she noticed about him. Anyone would, but he had a kind deposition. So she had given him a chance, everyone deserved a chance in Abigail's mind. Also after the war lots of men had bodily wounds?

Shane studied Abby's reaction very carefully. She didn't seem to care that Gavin was ugly or might have gotten his job under false pretenses. Shane liked Abby because she was pretty and he could use her help around the bar. She also was a pretty piece of ass. He knew that given time she would give up on her silly dream of being a school teacher

Shane knew that he had to make Abby his. There weren't many women on the frontier and she seemed as good as any. She could take care of his bar and the house. Abby may not like him YET but sooner or later she'd come around. Shane needed a woman for all the services they provided. He was tired of paying for it at the brothel in the next town over. Abby would do just fine for everything he needed. She was prettier than most of the girls in the brothel. He just had to get her mind off that ugly fucker Gavin.

"You know, he isn't even a proper person. He's ½ Injun...pawnee. The pawnee do unspeakable things to women. I'd hate to see what he would do to a pretty little lady like you. Doesn't even live in town, lives right on the edge of the prairie. Them pawnee come into his house sometimes. Can you imagine having injuns in your house? I don't allow them in the bar...that includes that son a bitch Gavin. He'd dirty up the place."

Abby didn't say anything. She didn't know what to make of the situation. Back in Boston she had heard what Indians did to frontier settlers. Friends had warned her that the Indians raped women and burned settlers alive in their homes. She had barely talked to Gavin. Shane was telling her that he was a Pawnee. How had Gavin gotten all those scars? Did he harm women and settlers in raids? What did she know about Gavin? Could she trust an Indian? Shane was a "normal person" like her. Abby didn't know what she would do.

Still she was determined not to become Shane's maid. So she asked him to show her the schoolhouse. The school house was a disaster. Not as bad as Shane's bar but it was still unfit for children.

"Built this school back when the town was first starting up. Only seven kids in town then, we still wanted a school. Wouldn't want them to be ignorant or nothing." said Shane.

Abby nodded politely. She would have to put some elbow grease into this school house if she was going to teach here. So she took the broom from the bar and began sweeping up. Over the next week, various town citizens dropped by. The town agreed to pay Abby $30 a month. There were 30 kids in the district and each family would pay $1 a kid. So Abby became a teacher, the only teacher, in Antelope Hill.

Abby had been so busy setting up and cleaning the school that she forgot Gavin when he had come back into town. She had just come back from the schoolhouse to Shane's bar when she heard arguing.

"I thought I said people like you weren't allowed in my bar?" said Shane.

"I'm not here to see you or come to your bar. I'm here to see Ms. Abby. I don't want anything to do with you Shane. Only her." Gavin said.

"Well, I doubt she'll have anything to do with a gimp injun like you. She's a lady. She looks after them kids mighty fine. So I'm saying you can't speak to her." stated Shane.

Abby came into the bar. "Hello.." she said uncertainly.

"Hello, Ms. Abigail...glad to see you. How are things going over at the school?" asked Gavin.

Shane stayed behind the bar watching the situation. Would an east coast lady like Abby go out with an ugly fucker like Gavin? What was so special about him?

"Things are going fine, at the school. It was all messy and a sight to see but I cleaned it up. There's going to be 30 kids coming from all over the area, 3 days a week. I really don't know how I'll manage. But, it's going to be interesting to try. Would you like to stay for some coffee? It's getting to be nippy in this fall weather." asked Abby.

Before Gavin had a chance to answer Shane said. "He's not allowed in my bar and he's definitely not allowed in my house.

Abby didn't know how she felt about Gavin but she didn't want to leave him hanging out to dry. She felt that Gavin and her had connected on their journey. She was dubious about him but at least wanted to give him a chance to talk about himself. Gavin could see Abby's uncertainty and knew Shane would never give him mercy especially over a pretty woman like Abby. He hated Shane and Shane's bigoted ways.

"Would you like to go for a walk with me Ms. Abigail? We could stop by my house for a cup of coffee if you'd like?" Gavin asked.

"Sure Gavin, I'd love to. Just let me get my coat." With that Abby went to fetch her coat and left a pissed off Shane in his bar.

Abby and Gavin walked Main Street. They came to Gavin's house at the end of town right on the prairie.

"Come in for coffee?" asked Gavin.

"Sure, I want to talk to you about some stuff...uhmm rumors I've heard about you." said Abby. She went into Gavin's for coffee.

Abby decided to be upright about everything. There was no sense in dilly-dallying to be polite.

"So I've heard you're an Indian...and you live here on the prairie. People in town say you're not safe. They say you hunt on farmer's land without permission...you need permission to hunt on people's land.

Gavin was at the stove making the coffee. He sadly sighed and said frustratingly. "It's true, I am ½ Pawnee and I...well all of us Pawnee hunt the land like we please. It used to be ours all of ours till about a generation ago. Then europeans...like my father...well not my father but the man who got my mother pregnant came. Suddenly, the prairie belonged to people not to the buffalo or deer. So yes Abby, I'm ½ indian. But, I'm not going to cook you alive like you east coast women read about in horror tales."

Abby let out a small laugh at that. "I wouldn't think that about you Gavin." she said. "I need a friend here and I'd like you to be that friend. Now sit down and have another cup of coffee with me."

"Alright Abby, that sounds nice. I'll do that. It's going to be a very cold winter...the coldest we've had in a long time. You can tell that by how many ducks are flying South, also how thick the buffalo fur is and how thick the beaver dams are...it's all the most I've seen in my lifetime or the people of my tribe have seen. You and the schoolhouse need to be prepared. But, for now let's go in and play checkers and have coffee."

I'd like to acknowledge there are "misspellings" in this. I'm trying to establish a western vernacular. Also I would like to say that I'm trying NOT to be racist/sexist. I'm using expressions used at that time.