"Oh," Roland said, "I'm a devout believer.  And as any good Christian, I believe Jesus will forgive me for working on Sunday instead of going to Church."  It wasn't as though he was likely to find a branch of the Church of England out here anyhow. "In fact, I rely on Him to forgive a multitude of sins."

He smiled at her, "So whichever plan fits best for you, is fine with me."

His expression sobered as she went into more detail on the conflict between ranchers.  It was clear she had a favorite in the contest.  The Steelgraves from Evergreen were cast in the light of villains, save for one daughter who seemed to be something of a philanthropist.

It also seemed that the Evergreen ranch had come out the losers in a recent firefight.  They had just recruited replacement men, and were doubtless spoiling for revenge.  There was a business opportunity to be found in this conflict.  Yet Roland would be just as satisfied if peace returned to the area.  He preferred people to use his firearms for defense and hunting, rather than as offensive arms in war. 

Of course, that was something of a hypocrisy.  British officers had been taking Lancasters to war for years, finding them more reliable than revolvers. But Roland's British mind was loathe to think of his former government as being belligerents.  No, they were merely expanding civilization and improving the world.

The local news got doubly interesting as she mentioned a bounty-hunter friend who had also killed an Evergreen chap.  Some enmity from the war ten years past.  It seemed the wounds of that conflict were still fresh for some.  

England had taken an odd stance during the American Civil War.  They'd condemned slavery while supplying arms to the South in exchange for coveted cotton grown and harvested with the help of slave labor.  Perhaps there were some old wounds the British continued to lick as well after all this time.  Or maybe it was just about money.  So many things came down to ethics losing to business interests.

Roland himself was glad slavery had been abolished, but felt no real enmity for either side of the conflict.  In England, the issue of slavery had not come to arms against fellow men, but it had been fought ferociously within parliament.  It was hard to turn a page on History.  It was hard to condemn your own forefathers and turn from their path.  They'd brought you here.  It felt like a betrayal to call them Barbarians.  And it was hard to divest business leaders of something they considered a valuable asset, even if the asset was reprehensible in nature.

Roland finished the last of his stew, and collected his hat.  Standing, he placed a dollar coin upon the table.  "Well, I shan't hold you from your appointed rounds any longer, Miss Caroline.  But I hope I can call on your kind attentions again soon, and hear more news about my new home.  Tomorrow morning, I find the bank and buy the deed to my new shop and home. 

And so my life here takes its first step."

  Wayfarer