Wild West

He nodded, "Fine, show me what it needs," he said as he looked at her - begrudingly. He didn't want to be that guy people told what to do, but he did need the money. The mining industry was on rest for the rest of the year and there were no oil rigs near by so he had to do what he could for money.

She nodded and lead him down to the schoolhouse. She had grown up with him, but he had changed so much. Her father would hate seeing her with him, but she wanted to help and she felt like she could be an influence on him, though he may not want it. "I'm grateful you've decided to help me. I know you don't really mind though, I'm glad you've agreed nonetheless."

He nodded a little and sighed, "What needs to be done," he asked as he looked at her, "Might need new windows you'll have to work with Tyson,"

She lead him to the school house, pointing at the windows and then roof. "The windows need to be redone, and the roof has a few bad leaks... Inside some of the panels have cracked, and we need some more desks. The door doesn't latch completely and if you wouldn't mind painting, it could use a whitewash as well." She said before looking at him. "It needs quite a bit done... and of course I can pay you for it."

He nodded a little, "Okay, talk to the man who makes the glass and I'll work on the panes," he told her, "I'll go get the roofing today then start tomorrow as long as it doesn't rain,"

She nodded and looked at the school house. "If it does rain, there's plenty inside that needs to be done." She said to him with a shrug. "And name your price, I can work on that while you start working."

He nodded a little,"It could take weeks to finish everything that is needed, you've got a lot of wood rot so most everything needs replaced, and I'll have to put pesticides down to protect the new wood from termites," he said to her seriously.

"Of course." She said. "Then tomorrow, what time should I expect you?" She asked him curiously. "School starts at 9 but will be over at 1."

"I can come after 1 then, that way I'm not in the way or a distraction," he said to her as he looked around the school.

"Alright then." She nodded, smiling a bit. "Just come in, and I'll be there."

Charlotte sighed had just laid Amos down for his nap that day, and she walked down the stairs to sweep and mop the bar before she opened it. She stopped when she saw him in the door way, "I was wonderin' when you'd make your way here - figured it couldn't be long after the letter," she hadn't seen him in so long and he looked worn and tired. She walked over to him and brought him into a hug, he was the only family besides her son she had left. Her mother had passed from an illness and her father died from heart complications barely a year later.

Ace was exhausted, but he figured he'd be able to rest once he got to town. It had been a few years since he'd seen Charlotte, but with her being the only family he had left and this being his childhood home he had been planning to come back.

He pulled her into a hug, trying not to let his weight lean down into her. "Charlotte," He said with a tired smile, stepping into the bar. "How have you been? How's Amos?" He asked her as he walked further inside.

---

Lucy sat down at the table, working with some of the kids who needed extra work. She saw Andrew through the window and gestured to one of the kids to go get the door. Annabelle, a 5 year old stood to get the door, holding it open.
"Hello Mr. Oliver, children say hello." She said as she turned to get more lead to write with.

"He's good, napping - he went to school for a couple hours this morning now he is exhausted," she smiled a little, "It'll be good for him to be around kids and to learn things quicker," she had been working since she could remember, her goal had been to just own a small farm - enough to sustain her family and be left to her own devices. However when Christopher married her it changed everything. "How about you... you've been gone so long,"

---

He gave a small nod to the kids then smiled a little, "I uh.. I have some suggestions for the building, wanted to run'em by ya," he said to her.

She nodded and finished up the children's homework before handing them out to them. "Remember to come find me if you need help." She said to them before sending them home. "Alright, what suggestions?" She asked, walking around to lean on the desk. "Go ahead and tell."

---

"That's good. He's probably bright." He said, coming in and sitting down on the stool. "With the war over I can take a break, so I figure coming back around here is the best place to start." He said to her. "Mind if I grab a drink?" He asked her.

She shook her head, "Of course not," she said as she walked behind the bar and poured him a cup of beer then set it on the counter. "I can always use help around the bar," she told him gently as she licked her lips. "We're still not making a whole lot of money right now but we're managing okay, for now,"

---

"We could add book shelves and places for them to play or nap in here," he said to her lightly, "and it might be a good idea to add a furnace in here since winters are colder lately."

"A furnace would be great," She agreed, looking around the room. "If the school house were bigger I think that would work extremely well, but we don't have much room to play inside. During winter they don't play outside much ar all." She explained to him.

---

"If you dont mind me staying a while I'd love to help, take a break from fighting all the time." He sighed, taking a long drink. "How are things otherwise?"

He nodded, "well I figured we could expand to the left, there is plenty of land that belongs to the school there, by putting more room for inside more kids can come to school here," he said to her.

---

She nodded,"Of course," she smiled a little, "You can have the room next to mine, it's empty and amos sleeps in the bed with me still, he hasn't given up on nursing himself to sleep and wont have his own room till he is older,"

"I think that would be a good idea. It might need to happen during Summer vacation, so that we have the school house empty." She added, looking around the room. "But I think its a great idea."

---

He nodded. "Of course. I can help taking the pressure of you. I know that once...Chris died... it was probably much harder for you." He said to her as he took another sip.

He nodded,"I can do that, still need to draw up the plans a bit more but I have ideas to keep the roof from leakin' as well," he said to her, "Theres a new material in the big city, some sheet plastic they place shingles over top of it to keep water going down and off the room instead of inside the wood,"

---

She nodded a little,"It did put a lot of things all on me, but I've been alright, I was fine before him and I'm fine now it's just - Amos doesn't understand, wants his dad, cries for him a lot and I don't know how to comfort him about it,"

"That sounds like it would be really useful. Is it expensive? I could go into town and buy some." She said to him.

---

He nodded. "I'm sorry. But now that the wars over, I'm looking to stay in one place for a while. So I'll help out, with the bar, with Amos."