Summer Leah Ranch

Autumn hurriedly finished the sandwiches and loaded them onto a plate and headed back to the barn, her eyes dry but her face splotchy and red. She knew it would go away in a few minutes. She walked up to her brother just as he said something about weak little gals. She handed him two sandwiches and gave Marcus two as well. She figured she could wait until the new girl came and got her own. She picked up a sandwich and hopped onto the tailgate of the truck, munching on the melted cheese and toasted bread.
 
(I gotta go again and I'll reply tomorrow at some point, sorry I have work, Kelsey Rosa is in the barn but she is going to be busy with the horses and not very chatty seeing as she is A. a little put off by what Autumn said B. Doesn't trust men and C. Is trying to take care of her horses quickly but diligently so she can start working but he can try and chat with her if he wants to get blown off in a passive aggressive timid fashion. Mark, Brandon, and Autumn are all eating outside but based on what I'm going to have Mark say tomorrow it might get explosive and mean fast. Luke went after his girlfriend Candice)
 
Barry was not expecting his first day here to start off like this. He wasn't quite sure what to do now. Unsure of what to say to anyone, Barry cleared his throat and mumbled to Rosa "Umm hey do you know what we are supposed to do now?".
 
Barry walked out of the barn, and over to the girl that was showing them around. "Sorry to interrupt, but is there anything I need to do?" he asked Autumn. He was very hesitant when asking after he had just seen her crying only a few minutes ago.
 
Marcus shook his head, “Yeah, well you know what? Those ‘weak gals’, they are the people who care about you and are here to stick around for you. Your sister is worried sick about you just like everybody else and that includes the whole town. You know Jackson ain’t been the same since Jack…” at this point his voice softened and the fired died in his eyes as he thought of his older brother. Jack had had so much to give just like Luke and Brandon, Mark couldn’t let something like that happen again. “Listen all I am saying is that everyone is willing to listen and is here to help if you don’t push them away first,” he finished picking up a hay bale and tossing it into the barn. When Autumn slipped out of the house sandwiches in hand Mark watched her carefully. He knew what Brandon had said upset her and he was worried about her. He accepted the sandwiches with a smile and sat down on a bale, as he unwrapped the first of the two sandwiches he noticed Rosa struggling with a heavy tack box.


Seeing as her attempt to reach out to Autumn Rosa decided not to bring it up again. However she felt that if it had something to do with her new boss’s behavior she might want to keep and eye out for him. She was not about to get herself stuck in another situation where she was in danger. Once both horses were situated in their stalls the girl began to unpack all of their gear. While doing this she thought she heard someone ask her a question but she was so busy maneuvering and shifting her two saddles that it took her a moment to look up and acknowledge his presence; however by that time it was too late he had already moved on. Rosa just shrugged her shoulders and continued working; she did not feel like talking anyways.


With a sigh she picked up the two saddles and carried them into the barn careful not to scuff the leather on anything. These saddles were like her babies, second only to her horses, they were old but no one would know because they were pristine. She washed and oiled them every few weeks to keep them in such glorious condition. It took a few minutes to find the tack room but once she did Rosa set the two saddles up on the empty saddle racks and moved back to the truck. She still had to pull put out her bridles and her tack box. Rosa picked up the two bridles and slung them over her shoulder before stepping over to the huge wooden tack box. It had been her mother’s old tack box, one of the few mementos the girl kept with her. It was solid oak and stained a deep brown, the lock and handles were black iron both intricately carved and equally beautiful. It wasn’t exactly made to be moved around, it’s the kind of thing you put in place and never until you absolutely have to. The box was filled with Jet’s and Babe’s heavy blankets along with all of their saddle blankets and boots and all of the cleaning supplies a girl could ever need. To say the least it was heavy, Rosa struggled to just get it out of the trailer.
 
Brandon placed his pocket knife back into his pocket before wiping the blood off on his faded blue jeans. He kept unloading the truck as Marcus talked. Yes it was disrespectful. No he didn’t care. In his mind this was getting about like war. Everybody in the barn against him, and not even Luke there to back him up but he learn in Iraq to not care and stand on his own two feet. He ignored the sandwiches that his sister tried to hand him, not trying to be rude but right now he was doing everything in power to not beat the hell out of Marcus. How in world would Marcus know his sister was worried about him? All the puzzle pieces fit and in his mind he had just placed them all together. “You really think for one second that Luke and I want to ‘talk’ about what we saw over there. Reality check Marcus, we want to do everything that we possibly can to forget. While you all are playing with puppies and not doing shit there are soldiers over seas watching their men get blown apart. We saw our own men be held together by their belts and still alive pleading for you to them out of their misery. The only thing you can do is stay with them until they pass.” He said throwing yet another hay bell off of the truck, right next to were Marcus was just to startle him a little. “Let me clear something up for you. When a man ask you to look after their little sister that doesn’t mean have a thing for them, it means treat them like your own sister.” He snarled before lighting up actually thinking about what he had said about Jack. To be honest Brandon didn’t have a clue about Jake not being alive. How could he when he has been in Iraq for four years. “What happened to Jack, man?” He questioned getting off the tailgate, preparing himself for some kind for bad news.


 
Autumn was listening, anger bubbling inside of her. She might have been a regular, quiet ranch girl but she had a tepee just like her brother's. Sitting here listening to him talk about her like she was six years old again? Not happening. She stood up and grabbed her brother's hand, stopping him from pulling bales down. "Damn it, Brandon, when will you learn that I am not your baby sister anymore?! I'm sorry but it's hard for me to be an adult when you sit here and put me down! I can't even defend myself!" she took a breath, tears in her eyes. It was hard to say this to the person who had always been there for her. "And, by God, you have no right to say how I feel about other people. Especially when it comes to love and relationships." Her eyes flickered to Markus quickly before focusing back on her brother. "Please. Just let me grow up and be my own person," she whispered, dropping his hand. She turned and picked up the empty plate and took it back to the house before dropping it in the sink. She turned on the hot water and began scrubbing furiously at it.
 
Being ignored once again, Barry sat down on a bale of hay sitting outside of the barn. He heard a lot of yelling, fighting, and crying, and was unsure of what to do at all, so he just sat there and waited for someone to hopefully come by and give him some direction as to what to do.
 
(Kelsey Rosa would have replied to him but I was offline and you moved on to Autumn so I just moved onto)


Marcus let him get it out of his system, even though his words smarted. Yeah Brandon had been away for four years so he did not know the shit that had gone in that town, the same way Marcus couldn’t know what had happened in Iraq. “Well Damn Brandon it hasn’t been just a bunch of roses over here. I know it can’t compare but somebody had to hold down the fort over here. I’ve practically been managing five other ranches aside from mine. And it may be hard to watch someone die but have you ever had to tell the family and watch them mourn all the while doing their son’s job? And then the Morrison’s daughter was killed in a car accident, I held her hand as she died; some asshole on his cellphone speeding to a meeting. And you know what Jackson King was killed in Iraq and I was there when they got the phone call so I have not just been holding puppies damn it!” By this time he was yelling and was fighting back tears, he could still see Mrs. King’s face as she got the call.


When he brought up his sister it left Marcus dumbfounded, he wasn’t sure how he felt about Autumn yet. He liked her but he knew exactly Brandon felt about it, heck he had helped him intimidate her past boyfriends. However Autumn seemed to handle it before he said anything. He watched her walk away and sighed shaking his head. “It doesn’t take a genius to tell she is upset,” he whispered before saying with more strength, “Dude, I get that she is off limits but what she is saying still stands. You can’t control her and you sure as hell can’t control emotions. That is all I am going to say on the matter.”


Jack, god that name made his throat clench up. It did not help that Skeeter, his brother’s dog, darted towards him at that moment and sat between his legs. She looked up at him with those big blue eyes. “The whole town ain’t been the same because Jack killed himself. He was a lot like you and Luke, he was moody a little bit angry and very distant. He seemed to be getting better, you know looking into college and buying Skeeter,” at this point he gestured to the dog between his legs and bit his lip before continuing. “Then the day I went to sign up for army I got a phone call, it was from the police. They had found him in his house, a bullet in his head. Have you ever had to tell your mom that her eldest son is dead? That is why everybody it so worried.”
 
Barry noticed the same girl from the barn struggling to carry a large box. He got up and walked over to her. "Here let me help you." he said as he took it from Rosa.
 
Brandonlistened intently to his words. His stories didn’t even try to compare to what Luke and him had seen in Iraq but he could see where he was coming from. Seeing people hurt from lost ones and people dying in your hands never actually leaves your mind. The memories of their facial expressions always seem to sneak back right when you close your eyes to go to sleep. The thing that made his mind come back to reality though was seeing his best friend’s eyes go moist. He ran his hands through her hair roughly, trying to ponder what he had just done. What he had done was probably nearly the lowest thing a man could do. He had made his buddy remember memories that no one would like to replay in their head. Autumn’s words made him sigh deeply realizing she was actually growing up. She used to never talk back to him because to her Brandon was more like a dad than their own father. Once Autumn left he looked to Marcus with eyes slightly pleading for forgiveness. “Man it sounds like we all need a couple drinks. Let me just say, I appreciate you looking after the ranch and Autumn even if she doesn’t need ‘looking after’. Tonight we need to all go out to the bar on Old Smithfield road maybe forget our ‘shitty’ lives for a night.” His voice ended in a tone that was light dripped in muse. “Man I got to clear this up.” He said before heading into the house, seeing Autumn scrubbing roughly at the dishes. “Your right sis, you’re not that little eighteen year old girl that I left. I’m just going to have to accept it I guess.” He said taking the dish gently from her hand before turning off the water.
 
Autumn leaned against the counter, arms crossed. "And what am I, Brandon? Because I sure as hell ain't gonna be you're little baby anymore." She sighed, realizing that might have been a little harsh and off base so she tried again. "Listen, I love you, Brandon, and you're always gonna have a special place in my heart. Not just as my brother but as my father. You know I love Daddy but you were more of a father than he ever was. Whatever lady gets you is going to be very lucky." She blinked and rubbed her palms against the rough denim of her blue jeans. "But the fact of the matter is that one day I'm gonna fall in love with someone and you have to respect the fact that I'll probably end up marrying him and leaving." She glanced out the window above the sink and watched as the newbies helped each other before returning her eyes to her big brother. "And then there's Markus. Yes, Brandon, I like him in a way that is more than just friends." she watched his eyes flicker a bit. "But, don't we all feel that way at some point or another about someone we grew up with?" She shook her head again and stepped forward, taking his rough hands in her own. "I love you, Brandon, I really do. But like you say when your training kids. You have to give the horse room to run and, frankly, you're pulling my reins awful tight." She wrapped her slender arms around his neck and gently kissed his cheek. She pulled back and stared into his eyes, "Let me grow."
 
Rosa took a step back and allowed the man to help her; she mumbled a thank you and directed him to Jet’s and Babe’s stalls. Normally she would have just avoided all conversation but moving that box had been difficult and Rosa worried that she might spook a horse in the process. She wanted to just go about her business and ignore him, she was here to work and get the job done nothing more. Seeking out a friendship especially with people she barely knew had not gone so well so far. “Uh so they hired you too?” she asked, the question hung in the air as if it were caught by the ever present humidity. Jackson could going be going through a drought but the air would still be sticky, it was something that could drive ranchers practically insane.


Marcus sighed and nodded, “Drinks sound nice, hey dude before you go I need to tell you something. You know that ranch hand I brought ya, Rosa? Well my Aunt says she is kind of a quiet hardworking gal but she can be flighty if men start yelling at her. Apparently her Uncle is the one who raised her after her parent’s died and the situation was less than desirable, it’s all I know but I figured you might want to know,” he said in a low voice his eyes flicking to make sure no one else could hear them. The man had already noticed the way she flinched if somebody moved too fast around her, she was like an over beat horse that would work for you but never really trust you.
 
"Hey it's no problem." Barry replied to Rosa. "Yup, first day here." he said somewhat quiet. He could tell it seemed like Rosa didn't want to talk much. He set her box down, and took a step back. He was gonna ask her if she needed anymore help, but he wasn't sure if he should or not.
 
Rosa nodded and began to unpack her tack box. She hung the blankets over the door and started to fill out the grain cards. She needed to do something with her hands so she could get out of her mind. “Well I guess we should go see if they need any help?” she asked straightening up and heading for the exit. She could see a truck loaded with hay that still needed to be put up. She pulled on a pair of leather clothes and climbed into the truck bed.
 
"Yeah, I guess so." Barry nodded following Rosa to the truck. He began unloading the hay, not saying anything to Rosa because he wasn't sure she wanted to talk.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 2 (members: 0, guests: 2)

Similar threads

Brianne13
ISO of RP Partner
Replies
2
Views
326
Brianne13
Brianne13
Back
Top