A young
woman looked into the mirror taking in the appearance of a jean clad, cowboy
booted, one size to big shirted girl. She scoffed at herself; she was a
disappointment to women everywhere. No guy would be interested in a girl they
might accidentally mistake for a guy. The girl sighed, she was good looking,
she decided she was going to take advantage of what God gave her. She walked
into her sister’s closet and pulled a pair of short shorts from a hanger and
looked at the garment that might ride up her butt, but what was beauty if not
pain? She saw a tank top and grabbed it, quickly walking back into her room to
change into the clothes she ordinarily wouldn’t wear. She buttoned and zipped
up the butt hugging jeans and pulled on a sparkling grey tank and kept her worn
brown cowboy boots. She walked out her door and deciding she hadn’t thought of
anywhere to show off her barrowed look, sat on the steps putting in the ear
buds of her old music player. She started drumming her fingers over her knees
and hadn’t notice the cars that zipped by, she did look up when she heard the
crunch of tires on gravel. Some young man, tall, well built, long hair, eyes the
color of ripe green yellow bean stalks. He shut off the black Chevy with a lift
kit. “‘Scuse me?” I was wonderin’ if you could point me in the right direction.
I’m not from around here.” He asked. The young woman smiled and powered down
her music device and put it away. Trying to decide if she should do what Billy
Currington did in his song, give him the directions that lead him back to her?
She stood, walked down a couple of steps, careful not to fall on her face. She
could feel his eyes on her, man all she had to do was show some skin and all
the sudden the men looked at her! “Um
depends? Where you headin?” She asked. The cute guy smiled. “I’m
lookin’ for a Mr. Sanders, you know him?” The foreign guy asked. The girl
stopped smiling, this guy knew her dad? She slipped up. “Well,
you’re a lucky man. He lives here.” She answered. He stepped out of the truck. “That’s
great. I’m Harrison; I’m the ranch hand he requested.” He held out his hand.
She gripped it with her own; she was surprised to find that his hand was soft,
not callused, and yet still held strength. “Lilly.
He should be back he just left to grab some lunch.” She said, he nodded,
speaking of which, she saw her father’s truck coming down the street. “That
would be him.” She said as he pulled into the drive. “Hey, Lil’. Oh
you must be Harrison, great. Follow me.” Her father said, taking a quick glance
of his daughter’s little outfit, she gave a small innocent smile. “It
was nice meeting you, Lilly.” Harrison smiled, Lil’ smiled back and took up her
previous spot on the steps watching as her dad gave the tour and instruction of
what needed done, how it was to be done, and when it needed to be done. Lilly
switched to the radio function of her mp3 player and listened, watching as the
new ranch hand figure out how to open the gate. She would hand it to him that
particular gate was hard to open. She heard his grunt of triumph as he slid it
forward carrying a bale of hay, he set down and cut the bailer twine and heaved
it into the feeder. Lilly laid her head in her hands and tuned out the outside
world and watched as the new staff member worked. “Breaker,
breaker, earth to Lil’?” Another feminine voice said. Lilly looked up, seeing her sister standing in
front of her. “What
do you want?” Lilly asked. The elder
daughter took in what Lilly was wearing. “Who
are you and what have you done with my sister?” She asked sarcastically. “She
took a vacation, said not to bother her.” Lilly answered, her sister turned
around to see what she was staring at, and then took a big dramatic breath of
air. “Mmmmm…mmmm!
Who is that sexy piece of farm
candy?” She asked, knowing he wasn’t there when she left. “His
name is Harrison, dad requested him.” Lilly answered.
“Remind me to thank father.”
She answered most likely thinking up an intelligent pick up line. “Rosalyn
must you always drool over the men that walk onto this property?” Lilly asked.
This was part of the reason father had requested another hand in the first
place. Rosalyn pushed too hard and the other guy quit. “I do not drool. Say, you talked
to him?” She asked; just know realizing Lilly knew his name. “He
pulled in here thinking he was lost and introduced himself. He must think I
look a fool.” Lilly said, powering down her music player for good. Lilly could
feel her sisters gaze on her as she snorted a laugh. “Yes he
probably thinks you’re hot! You actually look like a freaking girl. Who knew
that toned butt was underneath boxers and men’s denim! Woo!” She said
sarcastically. Lilly rolled her eyes. She may have looked hot, but she did not
feel like it, she felt like her butt was falling out of the shorts, and that
she was missing a striper pole. Dress
up only lasted a few hours; she decided to leave looking like a chick to her
sister. Besides she had work to do. She dressed in her usual men’s denim and
tank top with the high neck, and walked out into the barn. Taking in the
freshly hauled manure mixed with freshly stacked hay. She walked past the cows
after pausing to watch them eat, then set out to accomplish her purpose for
going into the barn, not that she didn’t need a purpose to go into the barn.
“Hey baby.” She cooed as she came up to her horse, reaching in to rub her nose.
“I bet your hungry, ya?” She asked, turning around grabbing a bale of hay from
where it was kept stacked. She cut the baler twine with her own double edge
pocket knife and through some in. She watched at the huge majestic animal
lipped at the hay. She set to cleaning out the calves stalls, climbing over the
pen fence she didn’t hesitate to stick her pitch fork into a pile of crap she
hefted it into a wheel barrel. Every once in a while she would wrinkle her nose
when the smell became rank other that she set about her task in silence. “
‘scuse me, could you tell me where I could find the calf milk mix?” The
familiar voice asked. Lilly wiped her brow and turned to address him. He did a
double take. “Hey you’re Lilly?” He said. “Yea,
be prepared to see a lot of me. I’m Mr. Sander’s daughter, the better looking, and
more charming one at least.” She said with a smile. He nodded laughing a bit. “Anyway,
we keep all the feed in the back room, including all medical items. You’ll find
the calf mix back there as well.” She said and turned back to pitching manure.
The time passed relatively quick as she rolled the last load of crap into the
mound out back. She put it back where she got it and walked over to her horse’s
stall. “Hey girl.” She smiled grabbing a grooming box setting it down and
selecting a curry comb to loosen dirt that the horse had previously rolled in. “Good
girl, look at you standing still.” Lilly lifted her hand and ran it along the horse’s
length. “You want me to tell you about my day?” She asked. Pausing to switch
sides and comb over the other side. “It started off ok, like any other day I
guess. Boring, eventless, you know what my problem is Midnight. I’m too
cautious. I think too much. I never just do, just feel. I’m lame.” She said,
thinking. The horse shook her head up and down. Lilly scoffed. “Hey, you’re not
supposed to agree with me!” She exclaimed. The white horse stopped shaking her
head. “Thank you.” She replied. Lilly
finished with the curry comb and used the soft brush to wipe away the loosened
dirt, filling the air with little dust particles. “You want to go out?” Lilly
asked the big horse, who shook her head. Lilly laughed. “Ok. Ok. We’ll go. I’ll
be right back.” She picked the horses hooves picking out dirt and crappy straw,
showing the V shape of the hoof. She finished and went to the tack room and
grabbed Midnights bridle. “Here
we go girl.” She said when she came back to the stall opening it a little. She
slipped off Midnights halter replacing it with the bridle, guiding the bit into
her mouth with her thumb and pointer finger. She took it in and Lilly slipped
the leather over her ears and clipped her throat latch leading her by the reins
out into the open. Lilly had a hand full of mane in her hand when she heard a
question. “You
need some help?” It was Harrison. Lilly turned smiling. “No
thank you.” She said politely, gripping the white mane firmly in her left hand
and her reins, swaying back the forward slinging herself up onto the huge horse
collecting her balance by leaning forward toward the whithers. “Good girl.” Lil
ran her hand along the horse’s neck. Lilly turned her head to the staring hand.
“I
see.” He smiled, tipping his hat. Lilly nodded her head. Clicking her tongue
and the horse started forward, Lilly’s body rolled with each collective step of
the horse. She listened to the click, click of her horse’s hooves on the
pavement, counting each stride. “Good
girl midnight, good girl.” She sat for a few minutes letting the white horse
stretch, then she double clicked her tongue and squeezed her calves, and
Midnight started trotting down the pavement. At the end of the road, Lilly
pulled her right rein and turned her around and cantered her back down the
street.
![[send message]](https://www.writerscafe.org/images/mail.png){kind=small}
![[befriend]](https://www.writerscafe.org/images/friend.png){kind=small}
Share This
Email
Facebook
Twitter
Read Request
My Library
Flag Writing