A/N - Here is the first chapter of my new Red Dead Redemption story. :) I've played and completed Red Dead Redemption so many times and I'm in love with the game! I hope all the characters are aren't OOC or anything. One thing that I've found hard it getting the 'lingo' right. -_-' I hope facts are correct. I've tried my best to get it as historically correct as possible and we recently finished the wild west at school so hopefully that will help. This first chapter may be a little slow (the first 2 or 3 may seem like it) but I rpomise you it will pick up after a while. :) I have an interesting plot in store. This is also a Jack MarstonXOC and so contains MAJOR SPOILERS.
UPDATE: 1/11/12 - Edit. I've edited a little of my writing style for the opening, not happy with it upon looking back. Hopefully I've omproved it. :) Feel free to leave reviews, no matter what they be. I'm happy to know your opinions on my story!

DISCLAIMER: I do not, nor will I ever own Red Dead Redemption or anything related to it. This fanfiction is purely fan made and I only own characters and places that are new. I apologise if any of this material offends any one. I assure you I don't mean to offend in any way, shape or form. This story will contain coarse language and graphic violence.

Chapter 1 – The MacFarlane ranch.

The sun beat down on the American soil, ripples of heat distorting the horizon. I gave my horse another spur, keeping the gallop as we moved gradually upwards and in to Hennigan's Stead. As we moved into Hennigan's we left behind the sparse plains of Cholla Springs and entered a more shaded area, with green trees granting blessed shade. My appaloosa stallion whinnied and threw his head back. "Whoa, boy," I cooed, giving him a pat on the neck. His skin was hot under my touch, as was I. It was the middle of the day and the sun was at full strength.

We moved along the path, hooves pounding a rhythm and kicking up dust. We passed a fair few ranch hands – men who tipped their hats politely. My hair whipped behind me in a mess, wild strands waving like a waterfall behind me. Ahead, the ground raised and I could hear the chatter of men and the moos of cattle. I pulled on my horse's reins, slowing to a gentle canter. He snorted and flicked his tail. Ears flicked back as I reached up and quickly pulled my hair back into a bun. Hair away, I returned my hands to the reins and slowed to a trot now, the MacFarlane ranch coming into view. Two men walked past on their horses, nodding me a greeting. "Afternoon' miss."

"Afternoon," I replied, offering them a smile. I passed them and was now at MacFarlane ranch, trotting over the iron tracks of the steam train and past pens that held cattle on my right and horses on my left. The ranch was alive with people, men carrying hay to and fro, wagons rumbling through. This was where I was to call home.

I, Eva White, was to be spendin' time at the MacFarlane ranch whilst my pa took care of business back home. The MacFarlane's (from what I had heard) were a kind family, the ranch owned by Miss MacFarlane and her father. And now I was here with my beloved stallion, eager yet hesitant about the new surroundings. My hazel eyes scanned everything they could, getting a feel of the place. I sat up straighter in the saddle, quickly smoothing out my blouse and split skirt, ready to look presentable.

I walked my horse to the other end of the ranch, where a grand wooden house sat, situated right by a bridge. The front door to the house opened and a woman emerged onto the shaded porch, her blonde hair tied up in a bun. The woman smiled and raised a hand in greeting before walked over to me as I was dismounting. I landed soundlessly on the ground and brushed the dust off my split skirt before turning and greeting the woman. "Afternoon Miss MacFarlane," I said, nodding and smiling at the blonde woman. She grinned back, her blue eyes dancing. "Afternoon Miss White, glad you're here." She motioned to my horse who was biting at an itch on his rump. "If ya want you can hitch your horse over there and then come into the house for a nice cool drink." I beamed as my thirst was reminded by the promise of something to quench it. "Oh, yes please, Miss. It's rather hot out here," I said, fanning myself slightly. Miss MacFarlane smiled.

"Well, I'll be in the house. Just hitch your horse then come right in."

"So, how was your ride here?" Miss MacFarlane asked as she set down a tray of ice cold drinks on the small table. She took a seat in the chair near the couch where I was sat. I thanked her and took a drink, sipping it gratefully. The two of us were now in her living room, where it was much cooler than outside. I relaxed slightly and glanced around the room. After a quick look I looked back at Miss MacFarlane and answered her question. "It went fine. Nice to see the scenery around here. It's a little different to back home." Miss MacFarlane nodded.

"I suppose, though it gets a little boring sometimes," She chuckled. My eyes widened. How could she feel bored in a place as beautiful as this? I smiled and shook my head. "That's why I'm so glad to be out here. Makes a change to working on the ranch back home. Yours is a lot bigger than ours." Miss MacFarlane smiled.

"Well, I'm glad to have you out here Miss White."

"Please, call me Eva," I said. She cocked her head to one side.

"Eva? I thought your name was Evelyn?" I giggled. I had been asked this question many times before.

"Yes, well, my Ma wanted to call me Eva but Pa wanted me to be called Evelyn. He said Eva sounded too Spanish but Ma really like the name so she used to call me Eva. Pa wasn't too pleased but he let Ma call me that none the less." Miss MacFarlane smiled.

"Well, I'll call you Eva if you call me Bonnie." I grinned.

"Sure thing, Bonnie."

Bonnie took a sip of her drink before looking out the window. "I trust ya didn't run into any trouble on your way here?" My mind was cast back to the horse thief who had decided to try his luck. As soon as the thief had sat in the saddle he was thrown from it by my horse and then nearly had a chunk bitten from his shoulder. A smile crept onto my face, "None at all." The woman nodded and took a sip of her drink. "Bonnie, I'd just like to say thank you for allowing me to stay and work on your ranch." She raised an eyebrow and waved her hand dismissively.

"Nonsense. I'm glad to have ya here. When your father telegraphed explaining your situation I could hardly say no." Bonnie smiled warmly at me. "We need the help anyway, what with my father getting on in years... anyway, enough of my rambling. I'll give you a tour of the ranch later but first I'll show ya to your lodgings. I've decided to let ya stay in the guest room we have upstairs. It's not decorated much but I hope it's acceptable." I blinked and shook my head furiously, surprised by the kindness. "Oh, Miss, you didn't need to go and give me a room in your own house. Heck, I'd sleep in the stables with the horses if ya let me!" Bonnie shook her head.

"No, no, no. You aint sleepin' in the stables. Your Pa's a dear friend and I aint gonna let no daughter of his sleep in a rusty old bed, or a pile of hay for that matter. Trust me, it'll be nice to have someone else in the house besides my father." I sighed in defeat and nodded.

"I guess a bed will suffice. I still think that a stable would be much better." I said, narrowing my eyes playfully and grinning cheekily. Bonnie rolled her eyes, set down her drink and stood up. "Let's get ya upstairs and unpacked. Your belongings arrived earlier today. They're already up there." I nodded and swallowed the rest of my drink before setting down the glass and following Bonnie up the stairs.

"Oh my! This room is lovely!" I cried as Bonnie lead me into the spare bedroom.

The room was large and spacious, with a single bed on one side and a closet and desk on the other. The floor was bare with a red rug and the walls had dark green wallpaper over them. I glanced at my belongings which were set on the bed before I walked over to the windows. I looked out a window and was greeted with a beautiful view of the landscape around the ranch. "Wow, nice view," I said as I turned back to Bonnie.

"Now, I know it aint much, but I hope it's to your liking."

"This is more than enough Miss MacFarlane," I laughed. She raised her hand.

"I told you to call me Bonnie," She reminded. I laughed and smiled sheepishly.

"Sorry. It's my parents fault. Always hammering manners into me, they were." I shook my head and sighed. Bonnie smiled.

"Do you need a hand unpacking?" She asked. I nodded.

"Yes please." The two of us opened the cases and began pulling out possessions, such as clothes and books, and then storing them in their correct place.

After five minutes of work, in which the two of us made small talk, we had finished and we stood back to admire our work. "We aint done a half bad job," Bonnie said as she looked around the room. I nodded in agreement. "It was nice to hear about your father. Now, how about that tour of the ranch?" Bonnie asked, her blue eyes shining. I nodded enthusiastically, my brown hair starting to slip from its bun. "Ooh, that would be lovely Miss MacFarlane." Bonnie scowled.

"I told you to call me Bonnie." My mouth made the shape of an 'O' before I, again, smiled sheepishly.

"Sorry. Again." Bonnie smiled and began heading down the stairs.

As soon as her back was turned I poked my forehead, mentally reminding myself to call her Bonnie.

The two of us walked out the grand front doors and into the blazing sun and over to our horses. As soon as my horse, Dot Dot Dash, caught sight of me he whinnied excitedly and began to bob his head up and down. Bonnie chuckled and climbed onto her mount, a strawberry roan blanket appaloosa. "Mount your horse and follow me!" Bonnie said, clicking her tongue and spurring her horse. I quickly mounted Dash and trotted after Bonnie, falling into place alongside her.

Bonnie smiled at me and began explaining the ranch. "As ya can see the ranch has its own general store as well as a train station, Foreman's office and doctor's office. There's also a carriage service that runs to most towns." I followed around the ranch as Bonnie spoke and took in everything, making sure to memorize every detail I could. "Wow, this ranch has damn near everything," I commented, nodding towards the general store.

A few ranch hands cantered past on their horses as Bonnie scoffed. "I wish. Otherwise we'd have all them fancy machines ya hear about. Make my life easier, I tell ya. Coming up on our right is the corral for all the horses." I looked right and my chocolate eyes widened. The corral was full of horses of all breeds and colours. My mind cast back to home, to my father's ranch, where we only had a handful of horses. "You sure do have a lot of horses Miss. And they're all so beautiful!" Bonnie smiled, blue eyes creasing in the corners.

"They sure are. Finest in all the land, I reckon. But not as eye catching as that Appaloosa of yours." Bonnie complimented, looking at my trusty steed. I blushed,

"Why, thank you Miss. He was a gift from my father, had him since a foal. His name's Dot Dot Dash, Dash for short." Bonnie chuckled and spurred her horse. I did the same. "What an appropriate name. Have a fun time breaking him?" She asked. I sighed as my mind was cast back to the memory.

"I broke him okay, it was the ranch hands who had trouble. He's a real toughie this one. He's also very intelligent and crafty. He really didn't like any of the ranch hands trying, especially since they're male." Bonnie silently raised a brow, a small smile on her face.

"So he's not too fond of men?" I shook my head, thinking of the time Charles, a ranch hand, tried to break Dash. As soon as Charles sat down he was thrown and Dash charged around the pen bucking, before he bolted straight at him. If Charles hadn't have leapt out of the pen he would've been chopped up under Dot Dot Dash's hooves. I gulped and looked at the horn of my saddle. "Not really. He's okay once he gets to know them, in fact he can be quite the softy. It's just at first he's naturally suspicious of 'em." Bonnie chuckled and pulled back on the reins, slowing her horse. I quickly followed suit. Bonnie turned and smiled at me.

"I don't blame him. Some men are okay, but others are nothing more than womanizing cheats who spend their money at saloons while their wives sit at home." I nodded my head in agreement. At home I was surrounded by men and rarely had the chance to talk to another woman. "I agree. And the way some of them treat women is awful. Just thinkin' about it makes me wanna storm the nearest town and hogtie the bastards then leave 'em out for the wolves." Bonnie laughed and shook her blonde head.

"I'm not even sure wolves would touch 'em!"

"I think you're right Miss, they're bad meat. But what really gets on my nerves is the way that you don't get treated like a woman if you work on a ranch. Men just expect you to dress in skimpy things and to be ready to crawl into bed with 'em anytime of day. Of course, not all men are like this. Some are nice," I said, calming down a little. I mentally reminded myself not to make a bad impression on Bonnie and to keep my more 'enthusiastic' side under strict control for the time being.

Bonnie sighed. "I guess we're women in a man's world." I nodded slowly, also sighing.

"True Miss, true."

"What did I tell ya about calling me Miss?"

"Sorry, again."

A few minutes later we had finished the tour of the ranch and were galloping around the nearby landscape. Our horses thundered along the path, weaving in and out of trees. I felt up to my bun and felt the hair beginning to slip out. I sighed and used one hand to pull it out, letting my hair flow freely. Dot Dot Dash snorted and Bonnie's horse whinnied in reply. I smiled at the two horses before Bonnie spoke. "So, you get the lay of the land? That way's Pike's Basin, I'd avoid that area. That way's Armadillo, Mexico is also that way and Blackwater is that way. So is thieves' landing but I'd stay out of there if I was you," Bonnie explained as she pointed a slender finger in all the right directions. I nodded and tried to memorize the way.

"I'll try to remember, though I think I will have to buy a map," I said. Bonnie chuckled.

"Now don't worry, you'll learn it soon. You made your way here didn't ya?"

"Yes, but that was just sheer luck," I joked. Bonnie chuckled.

"Maybe," She said. I shook my head and laughed slightly.

Eventually we slowed down and we were brought to Bonnie's house. "So that's the ranch, and judging by the sun I'm guessin' it's getting pretty late. I should start dinner soon but first would ya like to go look at the horses?" Bonnie asked, catching the looks I had given the animals earlier.

I grinned and nodded, "Yes please, Bonnie." She smiled and walked her horse towards the corral. I followed and we hitched our horses on a hitching post just by the fence. Bonnie walked around the side and climbed over the wood whilst I laid one hand on the fence and swung my body over. I smiled as a beautiful bay stallion with a white stripe trotted over. He nickered and pressed his muzzle into Bonnie's hand. "Hello boy," Bonnie cooed as she pet the stallion's great head.

The stallion's mane was long and black. His legs were powerful and his hooves a shining black. His tail whipped around and I spotted a small scar on his left flank. I moved to his side and stroked his left shoulder. His coat was glossy and felt like luxurious silk. "He's ever so soft," I said, running my hands over his coat. Bonnie smiled and replied, "Well, you have Duke to thank for that. He makes his own horse shampoos. Maybe you could help him wash the horses one day?"

"He makes his own? That must take a lotta work," I said with my eyebrows raised, impressed. Bonnie shrugged.

"I suppose. He don't let no one help him make it though," She said. I nodded but smiled.

"Well, I think I'd enjoy helping very much. Maybe Duke'll let me use some of his shampoo on Dash." Bonnie smiled.

"I'm sure he'll give ya some." The bay stallion swung his great head my way and moved towards me. I smiled and rubbed his cheek. He snorted softly and I sighed in peace. His shining coal black eyes began to close and I could feel his warm breath as he relaxed. I began to scratch behind his ears earning me a soft nicker. Bonnie giggled besides me. "I think he likes you, Miss White." I smiled.

"You know what; I think he does Miss MacFarlane."

After a while in the horse pen, I managed to tear myself away from the horses and went with Bonnie back to the house. We walked in and Bonnie immediately went to the kitchen. "So, what would ya like for dinner?" She asked, walking into the kitchen. I shrugged, and straightened out my split skirt. Bonnie's kitchen was relatively large and had a large stove, metal pots sitting on top ready to be used. A wooden table and chairs sat in the centre, just begging for people to sit around it. I hesitantly took a seat and placed my slender hands in my lap. "That is up to you, Bonnie."

Bonnie placed her hand on her chin for a few seconds before she smiled. "Rabbit stew it is!"

A half an hour later and Bonnie had cooked up a beautiful and wonderful smelling stew. My mouth began to water and I felt my hunger grow, stomach rumbling out in protest. "Oh, Bonnie, that smells delicious!" I exclaimed. Bonnie only laughed at me.

"Well, I hope ya like it," she said, placing a steaming bowl in front of me. I waited as patiently as I could for Bonnie to collect her own bowl and sit at the table. "Well, what're ya waiting for? Dig in!" I did just that and spooned a large amount of vegetables and rabbit meat into my awaiting mouth. I chewed and swallowed the remarkable food with joy. "Bonnie, you are a wonderful cook!" I said, grinning widely at the blonde woman sitting opposite me. Bonnie blushed and nodded her head.

"I'm glad ya like my cooking Eva." We ate in silence for a few minutes before I spoke.

"Say, Bonnie, if ya don't mind my asking, where is your father?"

I waited for Bonnie to finish chewing her mouthful before she replied, "He's currently in Armadillo attending to some business with a friend of ours. He should be back the day after tomorrow."

"Ahh, that explains his mysterious un-attendance."

"What did ya think? That I had him locked in the cupboard under the stairs?" Bonnie laughed, raising her eyebrows. I playfully raised an eyebrow and smirked.

"Why not? I do it all the time with my Pa." Bonnie laughed loudly and dropped her spoon with a clatter. I grinned and ate another mouthful as Bonnie calmed down.

"Well Evelyn White, I never pegged you for the murderous type," Bonnie said, still giggling. "But I guess looks can be deceiving."

I shrugged and swallowed my mouthful, "You'd be surprised what a woman will do when pushed to extreme lengths." Bonnie nodded her head slowly, smiling.

"Now that I can agree with."

That night I lay in Bonnie's spare bed unable to stop the grin that was dominating my face. My fingers were tapping hoof beats on the duvet; a sign I was happy. The night was silent save for the odd dog barking or horse neighing. It was a peaceful silence, one that made me feel oddly at home despite the strange ranch. Bonnie was kind for letting me stay at her ranch. Even more so for giving me one of her spare rooms. Then I thought back to what she said; "It'll be nice to have someone else in the house besides my father."

I frowned ever so slightly. Did Bonnie get lonely? I suppose she is un-married.

I sighed and turned over onto my left side and looked out the window. The creamy moonlight flooded in and highlighted my desk. I had left one of my books; Riders of the Purple sage by Zane Grey on my desk. The cover caught the glow and the title shone. I smiled and my eyelids suddenly felt heavy. They drooped lower and lower before I closed them and didn't open them again till morning.