Chapter 1.

Once Upon a Time in the West

The sun was shining brightly on the horizon early in the morning when Sheldon rode his horse back and start his way again. The night had been hard and cold, and there was no more water or food left for the rest of the day, only rocky mountains and the desert wasteland were visible in the distance.

The memory of seeing his family murdered by the bandits of Harry the black eye, the most despicable man in the east Texas, made him speed up the pace and join all his forces to get out of the damn south.

The young man escaped at the last minute and save his life, now Texas doesn't look like a good place and he doesn't have any more family of friends here that tie him to stay. He wants a new life and he heard wonderful things about the cold city of Boston, where a friend can find him a good job in a steelworks, although it is not his dream job, he can earn enough for a while to be able to return to his studies of medicine.

The sweltering heat of midday strikes hard and neither he or his horse can last much longer without a break, after the long morning riding without stop, Sheldon sees far away, what looks like as a well and a small farm with cows. The perfect place to rest in the shadow for a few hours and recover forces, he thought.

A few miles after, Sheldon approached to the well like a child to a lollipop. Without hesitation he took out a bucket of water and poured it over his head, the fresh water fell on his face and body as a waterfall. A seconds later, he took out a second bucket and began to drink it anxiously, was good, very good, fresh and clean as the Texas sky.

After a few minutes and another bucket for his horse later, Sheldon watched as a figure approached to him with a brisk pace.

Was a young woman, with long and dark wavy mane that falls on her shoulders. Her face was sweet as honey and her lips red like bright apples. She walks moving her hips with a sinuous curves that molded her whole body. Sheldon stared at her as if she was a mirage. Perhaps the heat and the lack of water made him lose his mind. The girl stood still in front of him with her arms on her hips and a defiant face.

- "Who are you, and what the hell are you doing in my domains?". She asked him with a challenging tone.

- "Calm down, ma'am, I just need some water. There's some man around here to talk?".

- "The only man here is going to take a bullet in his ass if he doesn't get out from my farm".

- "No men?, I have to say, that the wild west is no place for young ladies".

- "Who says I'm a lady?".

She said in a rude voice as she pulled her rifle out from her back and aimed the man in front of her.

- "Miss, lower the weapon please, as my father always said, those things are carried by the devil". Sheldon begged with his arms up.

- "Yes? Well, mine always said first shoot and then ask, so now we have a big problem here, bandit".

- "I'm not a bandit, my name is Sheldon, Sheldon Cooper, I'm just a humble farmer from Galveston, a three days town from here, please, I just want some water and a cool place to shelter me and my horse for a few hours, and then we'll go to the train station and never come back".

Normally Amy wouldn't be fooled by a man like this, she had enough bad times with convicts fleeing to the north or bandits that would end her life without thinking to know what to do, but the tender and sincere look of this young man was different, his deep blue eyes made that Amy slowly lowered her weapon and nod with her head so the man can drink the water of his hands.

- "All right, Sheldon Cooper, I'll trust you, my name is Amy Farrah Fowler".

Sheldon dried his hand on his clothes and reached out to shake it, Amy accepted without hesitation. This young man certainly looked peculiar, she thought while shaking his hand. He was nothing as the men Amy had encountered so far, all were so rude and unmannerly, abusing that she was a woman and showing no respect at all.

- "So, train you said?. You know, the next train that departs to the north will not arrive until thursday". Amy pointed.

- "Four days uhm?, I don't think I could afford any place to stay until then, I'm short of funds right now".

- "If you are really a farmer maybe we can do a deal, I will provide food and my haystack to sleep and you will help me with my tools on the farm until then, my husband is out of town and a farm for a single person is too much work".

- "Sounds like a deal ma'am".

- "Very good, you can bring the horse to the stable, there is water for him, I will prepare some food, before entering into my house clean your hands well and I don't want shoes inside". She said and just with that she turned back and walked away.

Sheldon sips more water from the well as look how Amy walked towards the house. No doubt she was an incredible woman, strong and capable, not like the women Sheldon had met in his town, all were helpless, stupid and incapable of defending or holding a medium conversation. Maybe that's why Sheldon had avoided all relations with the opposite sex, all his life, no doubt that Amy was interesting, very interesting.

After leaving his horse in the stable, he approached to the well to wipe his hands thoroughly, a delicious aroma of roast meat came out of the house. He looked around and saw how the small farm he had glimpsed was not that small as at first glance he thought. It had separate areas, with some sheep, cows and even chickens. There were several good horses in the stable, and all the animals looked healthy.

A few white sheets fluttered on the tarpaulin and they looked impeccable. No doubt she is a great housewife, Sheldon thought, her husband is such a lucky man. Maybe a woman like that could be perfect for his new life, someone how to take care of him, maybe Boston is the place for someone like that.

Sheldon approach to the door of the house, he took off his boots and put them on the floor, he quickly knocked three quick repetitions accompanied by her name. Was a custom that he had since a child and he hadn't even thought about it.

Amy opened the door in a swift move. Her hair was now in a bun, and she wears an apron with a few spots on it. Sheldon nods his head and take off his hat, leaving it on the table next to him.

- "It smells delicious here, ma'am".

- "You can call me Amy, and thank you, I hope you're hungry, I made tons of food".

- "More than you can shake a stick at".

Sheldon sat at the kitchen table, there was a big piece of roast meat in the middle, potatoes, several roasted corns and carrots. A feast for a hungry man who hadn't eaten for days. Amy approaches to him in the back and full his glass with fresh water, she sits on the other side of the table and with a smirk of hers, Sheldon started to eat as if there was no tomorrow.

- "You seem to like it", Amy said as she laughed as Sheldon devour the food. "Can I ask you something?". Sheldon nods with his head without taking the food of his mouth.

- "How is that a young man like you has traveled without food or water, you doesn't look like the kind of man who would forget something like that?".

- "To be honest, I didn't really have lot of time to get out, and I could only take what I had more a hand, let's say this is not a planned trip". Sheldon told her as his cheerful gaze lowered to his plate.

- "I could see this is not a good topic for you, but you have to be honest with me, if I'm in danger of having you in my house I'd have to get you out of here, you understand it, right?".

- "No problem, ma'am, I mean Amy, you're safe with me here, your husband can rest easy when he comes back he'll have his wife in one piece". He said with a smile that Amy returns to him.

The rest of the meal went quietly, they talked about the farm and the tasks to be divide for the next day. Sheldon was more than grateful for the kindness of the woman and offered to clean the table after the meal. Amy was astonished, in her almost 28 years of life she had never seen a man clean the table, and less, to offer himself to do it.

The night came fast as the two spoke, Amy lit a fire lantern and accompanied him along the dark way to the haystack carrying with her some blankets. She opened the big blue door of the barn and lit up other lantern, in a second the rest of the room was illuminated thanks to the dozens of lanterns distributed by the barn. Sheldon looked at the mechanism, they joined one to another for tubes and made them chain one after the other.

- "What was that?".

- "Sorry if it scared you, it's a mechanism that I invented so I don't have to turn lamp by lamp everyday".

- "Are you an inventor?". Sheldon asks her with wide eyes.

Amy nodded sheepishly. Every person that known about her abilities had called her crazy, "That's a men's thing" they repeated over and over, they mocked and teased her all her life. Now, she didn´t expect less, maybe rude words, perhaps a laugh or a joke, but instead that, she heard the only word she had never expected.

- "Fascinating". Sheldon whispered as he moved to the lantern and looked carefully close at the mechanism, it was incredible, intelligent and unique.

Thank you, she whispered shyly as Sheldon was staring at the lanterns while rubbing his chin thinking quietly. Amy decided it was time to go back to the house.

- "I'll see you at dawn, rest, Sheldon", She tells him as she closes the barn door.

- "Good night Amy Farrah Fowler". She could hear just before the door slammed shut.

Amy walked with her lantern down the dark way to her house, only the noise of the crickets took her out of her thoughts. Who was that man? Why did he run away, and why is he going to the north?. Those deep blue eyes came out to her mind. Now in her nightgown Amy turned off the light and rested her head on the pillow.

The stars of the clear, cloudless sky that glimpsed from her window, and a warm light from the barn faded as Amy closed her eyes and melted into a deep sleep.

Thanks so much for reading, I hope you are enjoying this story, it´s short, I have prepared four chapters, but I know you will love it, has Rated M for the following chapters, you will know why. *wink*, Thanks again.

A big thank you to my bestie Linda, because this story came about thanks to one of those crazy talks that we love it so much.