Mother: Esmerelda Rameriz-Cromwell (dead)

Sister: Juliet Cromwell (dead)

Summary: He's lived in Dreamland for eight months, since the town sprung up, and longs to see what life is like outside it's boundaries. He works for his father as a store clerk, but he doesn't want to end up like his father, usually he keeps that a secret. He's always reading and writing in his journal.

Love Interest: He likes Alvie, but is too shy to say anything, especially when she keeps eyeing the Pony Express riders.

Renee
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INTRODUCING SIMON!

Simon sat in the darkness of his bedroom. This had become his safe haven. He wouldn�t allow himself the luxury of sleep. If he did, he�d only dream of her. They�d spent twenty-three years together, and now, he had to go on without her.

Esmerelda had been his entire world. Now, his world was empty. He wanted to be with her, and the daughter he�d never get to know. To hold her just one more time. To tell her he loved her. She was the reason they�d moved to Dreamville. Simon wanted to give her everything she�d ever wanted, and in the end, all she wanted was him.

A knock took him away from his sorrow. "Go away," he muttered. The door opened, flooding the room with daylight. "I told you to go away�"

Javier walked over to the window and pulled up the shade. "You�ve gotta stop this dad."

"I don�t care about the store�"

"Mom would hate to hear you say that."

Simon looked into his son�s eyes. They were the eyes of his Esmerelda. "She�s dead, Javier."

"Dad," he began. "She�s gone, but that doesn�t mean we have to forget her. The store was hers. She wanted you to be what you always wanted to be. She loved the people, and they loved her. You can�t just let it go. It would be like forgetting mom."
He was getting through to him. Javier could tell by the look in his eyes. "Aunt Cora is sending Josie out here to help. You can�t let her see you like this," he continued. "She�ll make us go back to New Mexico," he paused, hoping that his father could hear the desperation in his voice. "I don�t want to go back, dad. This is where we belong."

Simon looked at his son, who at this very moment seemed wise beyond his years. He couldn�t have been more right. Esmerelda didn�t want Javier to grow up in New Mexico. Their life there had been difficult at best. The son of a Mexican Indian and a white man, Javier had become quiet, withdrawn. He�d always be teased, or beaten by the other boys. Esmerelda didn�t want that for her boy. They�d come to Dreamville with the dream of a new life, a fresh start. Javier had become the man Esmerelda had always known him to be, and the son Simon longed for. He couldn�t let that slip away, and he couldn�t ignore his wife's dream.

"I�m gonna go downstairs," Javier said. "We got a new shipment in yesterday. The kids are askin� for gumdrops, and I gotta put out the new material. Miss Watson�s been askin� �bout it. She�s gotta make curtains or somethin�."

Simon waited until his son left and then quickly dressed. Silently, he vowed to Esmerelda to begin where she left off. To give the community and his son whatever he could. He�d see that her dream for them would go on fulfilled. He stopped in the doorway leading from the backroom to the store, looking at what his family had created. The shelves were filled with everything to make others� dreams come true. Whether it is pots and pans for a new wife, bonnets and blankets for the new baby, or a ring for the wife-to-be, they could all start their lives here in Dreamville.

INTRODUCING JAVIER!

He watched the brook as it rolled by, listening to the sounds around him. His mother used to take him to that very spot, every afternoon for lunch.

"The boy needs a break, Simon," she�d tell his father.

As usual, his father would give in. He missed those days, and now wished he could have them all back.

"Hey, Javier," Josie said, coming up behind him.

"Hi," he replied. Josie was his cousin. She�d been staying with them since his mother died.

"I�m gonna be leavin� �"

Javier jumped from his sitting position. "You can�t!"

Josie smiled, her blue eyes sparkling in the sunlight. "I don�t have a choice, sweetie. The stage�ll be here soon."

"How am I gonna�"

Josie took the boy�s face in her hands. She marveled at how much he looked like her aunt. "Javier, you are capable of much more than you give yourself credit for. Help your father. He needs you right now." He knew what she said was the truth. For 16 summers, he took care of Javier, and now it was his turn. "Listen to your heart, like your mother always did," Josie advised him. "It will never lie to you."

Josie held the boy who was only three years younger than her. Javier didn�t want to run the store like his father did, he�d told her that on more than one occasion, but he knew where his place was, at least for now.

"I know," Javier replied. "I�m gonna miss you."

Josie smiled. "Hey, I�m only a letter away!"

Javier smiled back. "I know."

"Walk me to the stage?" She asked.

He took Josie�s hand. "With pleasure."

A cool breeze blew at their back, directing them to the stage. It was as if his mother was showing them the way. By the time they reached town, the stage was loaded and waiting for her. Javier watched as Josie climbed into the stage. He was on his own now.

"Remember, Javier," she shouted from the window. "This is Dreamville, the place where dreams are made!