The Unbound Horizon

The Story

The next morning Colton woke up determined to talk to Josh. For some reason he was very interested in Evelyn, and her hate towards him, and he really wanted to change that if he could. After breakfast he pulled Josh aside and asked if he would be willing to talk to him, and Josh agreed.

"So what do you want to talk about?" Josh asked, genuinely interested in why Colton would need to talk to him.

"It's about your sister Evelyn."

"What did she do to you?" Josh asked mildly concerned.

"Oh nothing, we'll other than hate me, but that's what I want to talk to you about." Colton said.

"You want to know why she hates you?"

"Yes."

"Well, you're a Yankee." Josh said. Colton dropped his head in frustration.

"Yes, I know, but, why does it bother her so much more than the rest of your family?"

"Why are you asking me this?" Josh said, feeling a little uncomfortable, he didn't like discussing his sisters personal life, especially with someone he didn't know all that we'll.

"Listen," Colton began, "I am trying really hard to get her to like me, not really even like me, just to hate me less, and usually I don't care about what people think of me, but I love your family, your father and brothers became my father and brothers during the war, I wouldn't be alive today if it were not for them. So it's important to me that your family like me, because I think so much of them."

Josh thought about what Colton said, and even though he didn't know him very well, he did remember the stories his father and brothers told about Colton, and how they described him, and the man that was sitting in front of him now, seemed to be the same honest, respectable man.

"Alright, I'll tell you, but I want to know why you asked me, why not ask Matthew? He's the closest to Evie."

"I did ask Matthew, but he said, that you knew more about it, and her point of view, because you were actually there, and he wasn't." Colton told him, and Josh slightly nodded in understanding.

"I feel like Evelyn will kill me for telling you this, but at the same time if you are going to be with us for awhile, you have a right to know." Josh said, "Well let's start from the beginning, when the war started, Evelyn was only fourteen, and there was a lot of pressure for her to keep the Ranch going, the only problem was that she didn't have any help."

"Why not? Weren't your mom and sister there too? And what about you and William?" Colton asked.

"Well I was only nine when the war started, and William was just barely four, so we weren't much help, and then Rebecca hates being outside, and I know mom wanted to help, but when she was pregnant with both William and I she was sick, it was actually quite a miracle that both William and I were born and that we both survived, and it was a miracle our mom survived, anyway she's pretty weak and frail now because of the toll it put on her body."

"Wow, you were young, so did Evelyn take care you guys." Colton asked,

"Not to much, she did what she could, but it was mainly mom and Rebecca who raised us, Evelyn was to busy taking care of the ranch to take care of us too, but literally the day after the war started she taught me to shoot a gun."

"Is she a good shot?" Colton asked.

"She's the best in our family." Josh replied matter of faulty.

"Ok, sorry, so then what happened?"

"You know how during the war soldiers would come to people houses to get food and water and things like that? Well weren't and exception, and for the confederate soldiers Evelyn Rebecca and mom were all to happy to help out in anyway they could, I think they felt like they would have wanted family's to do this for our father and brothers." Josh sighed, and looked down at his hands.