Title: Lonesome Ride
Author: Aimee
DuPré
Comments to: feedback to the list or to my email address, aimeedupre@hotmail.com
Category:
Peacemakers Fan Fiction April 2006 Word Challenge
Rating: G
Pairing: none
Spoilers: The story does contain
references to episodes of the original series, but no spoilers are given away.
Archive: Yes, at http://www.fanfiction.net/,
http://tv.groups.yahoo.com/group/peacemakersff/,
and at author’s website, https://aimee-dupre.tripod.com/.
Summary: Jared Stone ruminates on a trip from Denver to Silver City.
Warnings: none.
Disclaimer: The characters
in the story (with the exception of new characters created by Aimee DuPré) are
the sole property of PeacemakersÔ,
USA Networks, and in association with Michael R. Joyce Production. This is a
work of fan fiction that intends no infringement on copyright or trademark.
- Lonesome
|
A lonesome
ride from Denver back to Silver City was just what Jared Stone needed to
blow off the dust from his thoughts.
|
- Spring
|
Spring had
finally arrived, and new growth was everywhere around him.
|
- Gentle
|
The gentle
sway of the horse underneath him made him slightly drowsy.
|
- Snow
|
The snow was
gone except from the Colorado mountaintops, where it remained all summer.
|
- Warmth
|
Warmth from
the morning sun caused him to shed his duster.
|
- Hate
|
He was
starting to hate the cold and the blizzards, and he looked forward to
returning to his home.
|
- Reason
|
He wasn’t
sure of the reason; was it because he was getting older or should he call
it maturity?
|
- Drink
|
Recently, a
drink of cool, clear mountain stream water tasted better than whiskey.
|
- Happy
|
He was happy
here in the Colorado mountains, even if his bones occasionally ached with
the frigid cold and the high altitude made breathing difficult.
|
- Need
|
A need he
hadn’t been aware of had been fulfilled.
|
- Fear
|
A fear hidden
deep within had been conquered.
|
- Family
|
New friends
had replaced his family, long ago separated and scattered by the war.
|
- Table
|
He imagined
looking across a dinner table at young Katie, her life and dreams forever
changed by her father’s untimely death.
|
- Cell
|
He chuckled
to himself at the memory of Finch handcuffed to the jail cell.
|
- Office
|
His office
would never be the same since the arrival of the studious detective.
|
- Porch
|
Jared loved
sitting on his porch in the evenings, talking to the young ones who would
all too soon be taking his place.
|
- Bed
|
A bunk over
the marshal’s office had replaced his former bed under the stars.
|
- Water
|
He paused in
his ruminations to dismount and water his horse from the cool running
stream, full of water from the melting snows.
|
- Saddle
|
Out of habit,
he checked the cinch of his saddle and tightened it a notch before
mounting up again.
|
- Love
|
His love for
horses had begun when he was just a lad.
|
- Strange
|
It was
strange how his life had not turned out at all as he had imagined at that
young age.
|
- Children
|
Children have
such an optimistic outlook on the world.
|
- Event
|
One event can
change all that, bringing distrust, disappointment, and disillusionment.
|
- Dance
|
His dance
with death in the Union cavalry had been his turning point.
|
- Music
|
The music of
war had begun spirited and patriotic, subtly changing to a dirge of misery
and loss.
|
- Camp
|
He shook his
head as if to shake away those dark thoughts, and he made camp as the
daylight waned.
|
- Stove
|
A small
campfire became his stove.
|
- Coffee
|
The coffee he
brewed was strong and black, and it seemed to fuel his random thoughts.
|
- Hat
|
He laid his
hat beside his bedroll and gave his sandy curls a tousle.
|
- Rope
|
He slowly
wound up the length of rope he’d used to cut off enough to hobble his
horse.
|
- Jail
|
Back at the
jail, he had a lot of paperwork to catch up on.
|
- Pipe
|
He lit his
pipe and took a long drag, then blew out thick, bluish smoke.
|
- Cat
|
He hoped
Finch remembered to look after the jailhouse cat in his absence.
|
- Dress
|
His mind
wandered back to the new dress Katie had bought for the dance.
|
- Content
|
She seemed
content with her life in Silver City, and he regretted calling her an old
maid.
|
- Vision
|
Far from it;
she was a vision when she got fancied up.
|
- Telephone
|
If he were
twenty years younger, he’d telephone her and tell her that.
|
- File
|
He smiled as
he thought how she’d file that away to think back on later.
|
- Jail
|
But the jail
was never far from his mind.
|
- Marshal
|
After all, he
was a U. S. Marshal.
|
- Star
|
His tin star
stood for justice and the law coming to the west.
|
- Church
|
Once the
church-going folk arrived, lawmen were required to keep the peace.
|
- Compassion
|
But even
righteous justice must be tempered with compassion.
|
- Brute
|
Brute force
never accomplishes anything.
|
- Gamble
|
It was a
gamble Stone had taken and won.
|
- Flower
|
He spread out
his blanket and laid his head down next to a tiny blue flower poking out
of the soft spring ground.
|
- Trust
|
That was one
thing he could still trust in – spring would follow winter as surely as
morning would follow night.
|
- Marriage
|
Just as the
seasons, he had a perfect marriage of justice and law, peacekeeping and
peacemaking.
|
- Home
|
His home was
in Silver City, doing his job as only Jared Stone could do it.
|
- Smile
|
A smile
crossed his lips as he closed his eyes and welcomed sleep.
|
