The Fire Within a Ninjago Soldier

Chapter 5: Tuesday in Late August

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

In the chapter below, you'll find that I review some of the events of my first story, The Fire Within a Ninjago Cowboy. I felt that I needed to provide 1) some background for those of you who haven't yet read it, and 2) a refresh for those of you that did read.

This chapter is therefore longer than usual, so grab a mug of cocoa before you settle in to read! XD

Chapter 5 - Tuesday in Late August

At dusk on a Tuesday evening, just two days after their wedding, Kai and Sam gently swayed back and forth on the porch swing of their cottage, holding each other close after enjoying their first supper in their new home. It was a simple supper of flapjacks and bacon, for Sam was a novice cook, and their brand new pantry was not yet fully stocked.

Today, the cowboy who wore a red kerchief had returned to the range after enjoying the day off yesterday granted to him by Mr. Wu. Tending the cattle today proved to be messy work, thanks to the muddy conditions caused by yesterday's rain. When Kai returned to the cottage this evening, he had to give his horse Flame a bath. Then he rinsed himself off by jumping into the nearby Ninjago River, which lazily flowed just a few dozen yards away from their porch.

Sam spent her day working on turning the new cottage into a cozy home. She knew she still had a long way to go before she reached that goal, but today she found places to keep the thoughtful wedding gifts given to them. Also today, she began to write thank-you notes for the kind gifts.

As the couple relaxed on the porch on this warm summer evening, Sam knew this would be a perfect time for her to reveal to Kai some interesting information she had learned from Mr. Wu before the wedding ceremony two days ago.

This interesting information was the latest in a series of recent interesting events in Sam's life. She definitely could not say Ninjago Town was a boring place. The past month had been a whirlwind ever since she arrived here from the eastern United States to take a job as a saloon girl, in a quest to make a life for herself in which people accepted her for herself and not because of the million dollars she had inherited from her late father, business tycoon Cyrus Borg.

Her first few days in Ninjago Town had gone well. She made friends with the other saloon girls and met a sweet, handsome brown-haired cowboy named Kai. But though she tried to keep her moneyed background a secret, her boss - an unscrupulous wealthy businessman named Morro - discovered her past, and he ended up abducting her, and Kai as well, in order to get his hands on her money.

Morro and his two accomplices whisked the young couple into Skeleton Territory, located along Ninjago's western border and far away from Ninjago Town. One accomplice to the kidnapping was Bansha, an elderly woman whose marksmanship was legendary and whose daughter had been Morro's love interest.

Unfortunately, during the captivity, Morro was able to acquire the heiress' wealth, but the romance between Sam and Kai blossomed. Sam also formed a friendship with Bansha, especially after the septuagenarian suddenly fell ill and the responsibility for her care rested on Sam. Bansha recognized the love between the young woman and the cowboy and regretted her own role in kidnapping them, for Morro had no intention of releasing Sam after he had obtained her money.

The couple was eventually rescued by a posse of their friends, led by Sheriff Lloyd Garmadon. Sheriff Lloyd killed Morro when the villain attempted to murder Kai. Upon the death of the scoundrel, his entire fortune - which at that point included Sam's money - automatically became the possession of Bansha, according to a will found in his office.