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(Title)

Chapter 1

"Grandma? Is it true? Did Great Granny really die?"

Her grandmother felt a lump in her throat. She didn't want her grand daughter to see her pain; it was a Jackson family trait with women. "Yes dear," she said softly, but strongly. The elderly lady closed her eyes tight, trying to swallow the pain in her chest.

"But Grandma! What about the stories? She always tells me stories when mommy takes me to see her."

Grandma sucked her lips inside her mouth. Her eyes were sad and her heart felt worse seeing her young grand daughter hurt too. Secretly, she loved hearing her mother's stories too. They were inspiring and always exciting. They kept her captivated and no book could ever come close to the real stories from a real person; her mother. "Yes, she was quite a lady," she said forlornly.

10 years later

The sounds of the hospital were never ending with beeps of heart rate monitors and the squeaky wheels of stretchers. Every once in awhile, a person would moan or sob in the distance. It was late when her grand daughter made it to see the last few moments of her dieing grandmother.

"Grandma," she said. "How are you? Are you ok? Can I get you something, I can-"

"Calm down child, I'm fine," the woman said sternly, and slightly irritated.

Her grand daughter sat down on a chair next to the bed. She took her grandmothers hand.

"I was afraid you wouldn't make it here tonight," she said weakly.

"I'm sorry, I got held up at work."

"Work! Ha, is that all you young people do these days?"

Her grand daughter shrugged. "I suppose."

"Hmpf, how old are you now darling?"

"I just turned eighteen a few months ago."

"Well then, I guess I can give you the last thing I have for you." She was given a questioning look. "I have one more of you great grand mother's stories for you."

A spurt of excitement hit her. "Grandma, how come when I asked for another story, you said there were none left to tell?"

Her grandmother laughed and said, "Because you weren't old enough for this one dear."

Her grand daughter pulled in closer to listen.

She started, "Your great grandmother was a courageous woman. She had seen everything in her lifetime; what she lost and what she gained. The chances she took the consequences that she faced." She paused for a moment. "Now, all of the stories you have been told were of her and Jacobs adventures. Am I correct?"

"Yes grandma."

"Well this one is different." She went on to explain that this was the story of how she and Jacob met, and the trouble that went along with it.

It was a beautiful day in Philadelphia when Jacob Jackson, then a rich salesman, met his future wife; Rosaline. She was a beautiful woman, her skin was fair and pale and her chestnut brown hair was soft a silky in the sun when she took her bonnet off. John believed that her eyes were pieces of the blue sky. Rosaline was of course the daughter of John's boss, but that didn't stop him.

Rosaline would visit her dad every so often when she was out on the town with her mother. She was always kept and wrapped in the utmost of attire for the occasion.

John dreamed of having her. Together they would be inseparable.

One day, John pushed up the courage to talk to her. She was surprised that one of her fathers employees talked to her but she talked back politely as she had been raised. When the store was closing Rosaline kept listening to Johns intriguing dreams. When John was finished, Rosaline spoke and Johns realized the pretty lady under the bonnet had a head full of dreams herself.

"I've been reading a few western novels lately," she said. "I find them so adventurous and exciting. It sometimes makes me wish I weren't female, so I could live that life."

Johns tried to understand Rosaline's thoughts'. He assumed that she wanted to get married, raise a family, and eventually have her husband take over the family store.

There conversations continued on for weeks. Sometimes they would see each other when they were out and exchanged pleasantries.

They stayed late into the evening when John was suppose to be packing up. During one of their conversations, John was struck with a thought.

"Rosaline, what would happen if everyone followed their dreams? Wouldn't people enjoy life more than just sitting here and dreamin'?"

Rosaline stared at him stunned. Her eyes wide and her jaw hanging low at the sudden bluntness. She looked dumbfounded and didn't blink for a few moments. When she finally came up with words she replied frankly "Why John, aren't dreams suppose to be something that one only talks and thinks about. I don't think they are meant to be reality, at least mine aren't."

"My dream was that I would speak to you on day," John said, softly, not realizing that mere words can bring drastic consequences.

Rosaline looked away and blushed. Then she looked at him out of the corner of her eye with a smirk pushed to one side.

He continued in a motivated passion, "Why we purse our dreams? If the great men of out nation never had a dream to be free, what would life be like now?"

"John, I've never seen this side of you-"

"Rose, don't ever think you can't do anything. You always say that you hate being cooped up with the sophisticated people and drinking tea with the elite at two o'clock every Sunday. Rose let's do it."

John! Are you alright? What has gotten into you?" Her eyes were full of confusion and question.

He leaned forward to kiss her.

She smiled and placed her hands delicately around Johns head. "Let's go," she said.

John smiled at her. "You mean-"

"I mean let's live our lives of how we talked for so long."

"Rosaline? Grandma, who is this woman? Great granny never mentioned her!"

"Well my dear, it was because of her, this whole adventure happened."

Soon after the two dreamers got hitched, they fled town on John's horse. Rosaline had a fortune, or her father did. She took what was to be left for her and the some. With their money, and John's wilderness skills' they left Philadelphia and headed westward. They fought bandits, stampedes, and big bears, and robbers. Though it was scary during the trip they enjoyed every minute of there lives. They came to a small town in Nevada were they realized they wanted to stay. They built a small home to settle in and they built the first town inn.

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