Yearning Steer (Penner and AR)

RE: Yearning Steer (Penner and AR) Random Western Titles.

Her hazel eyes was focused on the blanket as she straightened it before looking back up. The blanket was not something that she would have expected in a house with all men, it was navy blue with little polka dots and flowers on it. She assumed that it had been perhaps their mother's? Kate thought it best not to mention it.

"Uh huh..." She smiled at Luke thinking that would pass the time and have her mind occupied for the time being. After all, she did not want to think about the complications of being here. However, the thing was that she had not been taken away like in that TV show by touching some rocks.

She had been chasing students and went into an area that was restricted and now, she was stuck here in this time. Had this happened to someone else? Perhaps, she would need to ask about disappearances?

"I think it was my turn." Kate said to the youngest brother as she reached out and moved her pawn. She wanted to concentrate on the game... Kate wanted to win.

---

Susan had jumped when someone had come into the kitchen as she was going around and bringing the bowls, spoons and knives into the little family dining room. Of course, she would eat in the kitchen and if the storm died down then some of the hands would get some food before she would clean up and return to her own little home.

As she was finishing up, she said. "Uh... Supper is ready." She went to tell the two in the living room before going upstairs to knock on Jesse's door and do the same. She had brought the pot of chili into the dining room and they would serve themselves. There was also the toasted bread with plenty of butter set out on the blue tablecloth.

RE: Yearning Steer (Penner and AR) Random Western Titles.

As the game continued Luke's features twisted into a scowl. She was good... really good. He wasn't used to having to try so hard. Ben was really bad at this particular game so Luke could beat him without pausing to consider his moves but she was making very clever moves.

"Luke! Jesse! Clean up!" Ben shouted from the kitchen and his voice carried. His was the sort of voice that could carry across a field with a herd of snuffling cattle in between. The storm was no match for him when he wanted to be heard.

Jesse swung the door open when Susan knocked, his brow furrowing when he saw her. "Thanks," he said quietly.

He was always a bit gruff around the edges but with her he was a bit softer. No one noticed though. Not even her, he thought. She was too busy mooning over Noah to notice Jesse... which was typical. Not like anyone around here really cared much for him, unless they had something for him to do. He wasn't even really a person to them, was he? He was just a 'dumb kid' that Ben bossed around, a 'stupid ass' that Noah constantly bickered with ... the only one who treated him even somewhat decent was Luke but even Luke preferred the others over him.

He headed down the stairs, taking his time. Ms. Williams, the school teacher, sat with Luke. Her jean clad legs covered by a blanket. A shame, really, he'd enjoyed the show. It wasn't often he got to admire the curves of a woman below the waist. He hated skirts, they hid all the good bits from view. Like the curve of a bottom, or shape of a thigh... he shook his head hard to push those thoughts away.

When it was quieter he'd have to ride into town... maybe see if one of the saloon girls were available. He had some money saved up, he could afford it.

In the kitchen Ben had just finished cleaning up. They barely spared a glance for each other. Ben headed into the dining room and Jesse real quick washed his hands and face.

"Luke," Ben headed into the living room when he saw no one was in the dining room yet, "Come on. Clean up. Ms. Williams," he headed for the chair where she sat and held out his hand, "I'll help you to the table."

Did she even need help? He didn't know. He found himself thinking about how she'd felt in his arms when he carried her inside... in the moment he hadn't really taken the time to appreciate the experience but now as he waited to see if she'd accept his help he thought of how light she'd been... how soft... and her hair had smelled like perfume. Was that something city women did? Anoint themselves?

RE: Yearning Steer (Penner and AR) Random Western Titles.

Her big blue eyes went wide as she looked up at Jesse. He was the odd one out in the family. The black sheep in a sense but he had golden hair that was a bit darker than her own blond locks. “Uh… you’re welcome.” She said as she took a step back before turning so that she could go down the stairs. While they were eating, Susan would be clean up the kitchen as best as she could with the little water that they had. The rain barrel would be filled come morning after the storm.

Back in the kitchen, she was stirring up a bit of lemonade for the dinner so they would have something to drink… and then she went to see how the watermelon was doing for their dessert. Susan worked fast as she had the jug of lemonade on the table while everyone was washing up and getting to the table for dinner.

As for Kate, she looked up before she was going to make a move. “One sec…” She said as one of her knights took another of Luke’s piece. “Finish up after dinner?” She said to the oldest boy with a smile. She then went to get up so that she could wash up for dinner which smelled delicious. Kate was a bit bewildered when he offered to help her to the table.

“Oh… you… don’t…” She said as she thought about if it was better to be safe than sorry. “I’m not use to be helped like this… I think that I should be alright on my own for a little bit.” She smiled. “Thank you, Mr. Wilson.” Perhaps, she was wrong about him at first… Kate thought to herself, standing up in the process as she was taking it a bit slow but she needed to do this.

After all, she was used to be vastly independent and this was hard. She was feeling a little dizzy as she looked at him and said, “I am sorry… I expect that I will need a little bit of assistance…” She mentioned looking a little ashamed of herself. “I swear, I am not this frail usually…” Well, she also kind of liked when he was near her too.

RE: Yearning Steer (Penner and AR) Random Western Titles.

Noah was the first at the table. He collapsed into a wooden chair, legs spread wide, slumping down as he turned his head to try and peek through the slats in the shutters through which he could see the brief flash of lightning. The rain was still pouring and the wind was howling but it didn't sound too dangerous yet... but it didn't sound like it would be stopping either and if it didn't stop he wouldn't be able to visit Susan later.

Luke joined him next, and the youngest son turned his seat so he could hug the chair back. He kicked at Noah's foot after he was seated, "Idiot."

"Girl," Noah responded a bit absently. There was no menace in their tones, just teasing.

Jesse was the last to join them, with still damp hair. He'd used the last of the water to clean not only his face and hands but his hair. He sat across from his brothers, resting his arms on the table. His fingers immediately started tapping against the wooden surface as he avoided looking towards Noah.

Ben took Ms. Williams hand and tucked it into his elbow. He'd seen his father help his mother like this more than once.

Her hand was so small, something he'd noted before but couldn't quite get used to. Her fingers were chilled, and he knew he'd have to find her some proper clothes soon.

He helped her into the dining room and pulled out a chair at the end. He caught Noah's smirk and Luke's teasing grin but neither boy said anything. /Good./ If they dared to tease him he would kill them. Both.

Luke and Noah sat side by side, with Jesse and an empty chair on the opposite side. Ben would put Ms. Williams at the end of the table and claim the seat at Jesse's side for himself.

"The girl... Susan? Where is she? Noah, tell her to join us," Ben said.

"Susan?" Noah repeated, "What?"

"She can't go back to her shack now, and it's not right that she sit in the kitchen while we eat. There's one more seat, tell her to join us."

Noah pushed his seat back, rising so fast Luke had to kick a leg out to catch the chair and stop it from toppling.

RE: Yearning Steer (Penner and AR) Random Western Titles.

She felt a little embarrassed as she using a little bit of water to wash her hands. It made her thankful for the abundance of water that she had in the modern society where you could wash your hands and the dishes and everything like that with turning on the tap. However, here they had to use a little water and conserve it. Kate was helped into the dining room as she sat down at the end of the table was beside Luke and Ben. Well, she did not call them by their first names since it was a little too familiar… or so she assumed.

Now, she was not thinking about her clothing being impropriate at the least… she would need a change of clothing… but she was covered. “Where does she usually eat when she is not eating here?” Kate asked thinking that was so weird that they wouldn’t invite the girl to their table usually. Did America have a class system back then… well, it sure as hell wasn’t slavery or bonded servants… that died with the Civil War.

Susan was washing up some of the pots and pans as she was also wiping down the counters. It was at that moment when Noah came in and she said, “Oh… did I forget the salt and pepper?” She asked as she looked around but she knew it was on the table. “Is something the matter?” She said thinking that the chili was off.

However, when Noah mentioned that she was to join them for dinner… Susan shook her head. “I can’t do that?!” She looked so confused by the thought of going to have supper with her employers. “Is it because of the storm… I can eat in here…” She said softly but there was an insistence and she swallowed nervously as she said, “Alright… I will be out in a moment.”

Susan was incredibly nervous because she did not know why she was invited but it felt so… odd and like she was not supposed to go. Taking off her apron, she folded it and went towards the dining room and entered. She looked like a mouse going into the lion’s den at that moment since she was nervous.

RE: Yearning Steer (Penner and AR) Random Western Titles.

Noah grinned, "Come on, it's not often an offer will be made like this. Come on out..."

He was both excited and nervous at the prospect of her joining them. If nothing else she would provide a distraction so he and Jesse didn't spend the entire meal glaring at each other.

He suspected Ben was only making this offer to impress Ms. Williams but he didn't care. He planned to take advantage.

Ben eased into his seat. He reached out to knock Jesse's arms off the table and with one stern glance communicated his displeasure at Luke, who stood, turned his seat around and sat down properly.

"With the help," Luke answered Kate's question. He flashed an easy grin, "Most times nobody wants to eat with us."

"That's cause you're like a coyote pup," Jesse murmured.

"Ruff," Luke bared his teeth, snapping them playfully.

"It's just our way," Ben said. "I don't know how they do things your way, but here the help eat in their quarters and we eat here. It's just how it's always been."

RE: Yearning Steer (Penner and AR) Random Western Titles.

How this family acted around one another made her smile a little as she was sitting at the table. “Well, I suppose all of us have a different way of doing things.” She said to them since she did not want to make an argument. Susan was sitting down at the end of the table beside Noah and Jesse. It was a little strange for her but it was also interesting to be part of this table.

The food was distributed to everyone at the table, everyone was given some chilli in a bowl along with some sourdough bread and good butter. There was also the lemonade that was poured into everyone’s cup. Once everyone had food, there was a call for the evening grace. She did not know what kind of Christians they were. She was Episcopal which pretty much meant Anglican but they did not want to be called that after the American Revolution.

Kate waited like everyone as all eyes were on the eldest brother to make the evening prayer since it had been a long day of working and seeing a strange girl along with a fight between two of the brothers… and some stolen kisses.

RE: Yearning Steer (Penner and AR) Random Western Titles.

"Uh..." Ben coughed, uncomfortable. He usually said grace for his brothers but he didn't have outsiders staring him down while he did it.

"Bless this food, bless this plate... bless our company, it's time we ate. Amen."

Luke snickered, "Amen," he said quickly when Ben shot a glare in his direction.

"Amen," the other brothers murmured.

The house shuddered as lightning hit nearby. Noah nearly fell over himself tipping out of the chair and rushing to the window to peek through the slats. But he couldn't see anything. "Holy," he whistled.

"Anything?" Jesse asked.

"Nope. Probably hit a tree," Noah said with a shrug.

"Or a cow. Lightning hit a cow once and when we found her she was just a fried husk!" Luke said eagerly.

"Luke," Ben sighed.

"Oh, sorry. Lightning never hit a cow. Not even once," Luke corrected quickly.

Jesse pushed the buns toward Susan; his silent way of letting her have first pick.

"Susan's about your size," Ben said, "maybe after the storm she can find you something more... comfortable to change into."

By comfortable he meant appropriate.

RE: Yearning Steer (Penner and AR) Random Western Titles.

Kate said, “Amen.” But she did not laugh or even smile… well, perhaps a hint of a one because the head of this household was a little nervous in a way. It was… charming… a little. “My Uncle was hit by lightning… I don’t know how he survived but they got him to the hospital right quick.” She explained as she looked at the table for a moment. “Storm is never a worry… it’s the twisters that can be scary.” She said before remembering herself. “Well, I am sure you know all about that.” She mentioned slowly eating her meal.

“Thank you…” Susan said as Jesse pushed the buns for the chili closer to her as she picked on that was big and soft but would be delicious since she had been making them all day. She looked up when Ben mentioned that she and Ms. Kate were about the same size. Well, Susan was shorter and thinner but most of her clothes had been hand me downs and had had to be tailored anyways.

“I suppose if that is all right with Susan to borrow something… uh, more comfortable.” She said simply with a look to Ben before her eyes glanced at the younger woman who said, “Well… I have something that might fit.” She said. “I can get it if the rain calms down a little.” She said simply wondering if it would or would she be stuck in the house tonight.

RE: Yearning Steer (Penner and AR) Random Western Titles.

"Hospital?" Luke questioned, his brow furrowing.

"I think that's what they call the place where the docs hang out in cities," Noah said.

"How would you know?" Luke demanded, "Not like you've been to the city before."

"We don't get many twisters here," Jesse murmured.

"Just our luck if we got one now!" Luke said, "First a girl drops into our back yard and then a twister?"

The Wilson boys talked enough for ten people, even though they were only three. Ben didn't need to say anything, they talked enough for everyone. While his brothers continued on in their banter and back and forth, he quietly ate, eyes downcast.

Shy was perhaps a word most would give him but he didn't think about it much. He just knew he was better, more comfortable, when others were talking.

"You're going to have one hell of a time teaching this one," Noah said, jerking a finger at Luke, "His head's as thick as a bull."

"Oh yeah? Who taught himself to read?" Luke asked.

"How do we know you're reading? With your ridiculous notions you probably make those stories up!"

"I do not!"

"Maybe."

As they argued, Jesse slid the buns to Ben, who slid them to Ms. Williams. The two eldest were quiet as the younger ones bickered like the kids they pretty much were.

RE: Yearning Steer (Penner and AR) Random Western Titles.

“Well, you can teach anyone if they are willing to learn…” Kate spoke up, she was someone who liked to talk as well but she could not keep up with the two brothers bickering back and forth. “It’s not like it’s a hard thing to do…”

“I know how to read…” Susan said quietly. “My Ma and Pa taught me and I like to sometimes…” She went back to eating as she glanced at the one side of the table and then the other. Two of the boys were quiet and didn’t say much and the other two were speaking plenty. Susan watched Noah out of the corner of her eye but not too closely because she knew that she could not show her true feelings for him here.

No, one day he would court a lovely young lady who would be a proper wife… not the help who was just practice for him.

Kate brushed some of her hair back as she said, “Luke read a bit to me today before the storm… it’s really impressive that he taught himself.” She said. “It was word for word… I had my doubts too.” She mentioned as she tore off a bit of bread for her chili to eat.

“Susan, this is delicious. You are quite the cook.” She complimented as Susan looked down and said a little squeak that sounded like an embarrassed ‘Thank you.’

RE: Yearning Steer (Penner and AR) Random Western Titles.

"Do you?" Jesse looked to Susan when she made her soft admission. The others ignored her, or perhaps didn't hear her over Luke and Noah, but he did.

"You could borrow our books if you want. Nobody uses them except Luke," he offered.

He didn't know why he was bothering to be kind to her. She only had eyes for Noah and it was pretty clear Noah had his eye on her too. Jesse wondered if they were already banging boots, so to speak. It wouldn't surprise him. It would piss off Ben, but it wouldn't surprise him. None of them were innocent, except maybe Luke.

Luke grinned when Kate backed up his story. He had told her it wasn't true, that he didn't teach himself but he was glad she wasn't outing him. He felt himself flushing pink, even if he knew most of what she said was a lie.

"See?" He punched Noah in the arm.

Noah snorted, "Whatever."

"Our mother loved poetry," Luke said eagerly, "maybe after dinner you could read some of her poem books to us?" He asked Ms. Williams.

"What was that one she really loved?" Noah asked, "She used to read it all the time... I forget the name."

"A mighty sound, the mingling voices of a thousand tongues, in one proud anthem rose; And as it rose, far through it's dreary depths, the forest shook; and from the distant hills, like the far rush of many waters, deep, long, and reverberating echoes came," Ben quoted softly. When his brothers turned their equally befuddled gazes on him he shrugged, "Flint..." He murmured, "mother loved Flint."

He couldn't read but he'd been read to. Often. And he would never forget any of it, especially not Flint.

RE: Yearning Steer (Penner and AR) Random Western Titles.

Jesse hardly ever spoke to her but she did know that he had always been kind to her, having never shouted at her… but she had thought that he did not know her name like many of the other two. She had always thought that Noah knew her name. To a young woman who was always called girl or ‘You’… well, Susan appreciated it when people remembered her name. “I think that I would like that if it is not too much problem.” Not that she would take anything away. “Thank you…” She whispered to the only other blonde with a soft hearted smile.

Although, Susan did have eyes for only Noah… he was her first that night when he first kissed under the moon light behind the ranch house… she had dropped the bucket for water and it had got everywhere but she had not cared because… she wanted to pretend that someone care for her… if only for a moment. Well, not cared for her but… she was a bit of a romantic and the idea of love seemed too far away… Susan could not be in love with Noah… However, the idea of forbidden romance was also romantic to her as well.

“I can read whichever poems that you would like me to… I don’t mind one bit.” Kate said as she was sitting and taking a spoon of the chilli to eat. “I am going to be here the next few days so… I don’t mind a bit if I can help if only a little…” She stated thinking that reading was something that she usually did anyways.

Listening to Ben when he was quoting the poem word for word that his mother use to read to them… well, she was impressed as she said, “That is a lovely poem… your mother must have been a good woman.” She said gently not know if she was making good or bad conversation.

It was strange… she was feeling a little worried about saying the wrong thing when she was in proper company but they must have known that there was something the matter with her.

RE: Yearning Steer (Penner and AR) Random Western Titles.

Jesse looked away from Susan's gratitude. He didn't want to see it. It just made him angry. He knew his brothers didn't mean to be cruel to her, they just didn't even see her, really. She was the 'help', that was it. And maybe if she'd only been here a few months that wouldn't matter but at this point she was as much a part of the ranch as anyone. They knew the names of all the ranch hands, why couldn't they learn her name?

Luke grinned at Kate's offer to help but his attention was soon taken by his oldest brother.

"That was... girly," Noah said after Ms. Williams kind words.

Jesse snorted, "Ben is girly," He murmured.

"I liked it!" Luke said eagerly, "Thank you, Ms. Williams."

It would be nice to hear a woman's voice reading those poems. As cool as it was that Ben could remember - and how long had he known them without ever sharing?! - it wouldn't be the same unless a female was reading them.

"The storm is letting up," Ben said softly.

And it was true. The frequency of the lightning strikes had died down and the rain had reduced to a trickle they could barely hear from inside.

RE: Yearning Steer (Penner and AR) Random Western Titles.

Some things never seemed to change and them calling their brother, ‘girly’ was the 119th century version of calling him gay. Kate’s mouth was a straight line across her face but she was silent for a moment as she sipped her lemonade and put it down. She did smile a little to Luke since she was not upset with him. Not that she was upset… she just had thought it was a nice poem and it was nice that the eldest brother remembered it.

Susan did not even notice when Jesse looked away from her gratitude because she was paying attention to the other conversations at the table but she did not say anything. Her bowl was empty and she was picking at her bread because she did not want to leave yet. This was nice… it was like she was part of a family again. If only for a little, of course… her family had never been big but she did miss having dinner with Ma and Pa when she was little before they got sick.

It was then that there was a mention that the storm was letting up and she felt happy because she knew that she would not be alone that night. Standing up, she said that she had some dessert in the kitchen and went to collect empty bowls. “Unless, you want seconds…” She said quickly with her hand stopped half an inch from Jesse’s bowl waiting to see what was going to happen.

RE: Yearning Steer (Penner and AR) Random Western Titles.

Jesse shook his head, quietly pushing his bowl toward her. Noah hopped up, "I'll help." He said.

It wasn't uncommon for the boys to take care of themselves after dinner. Yes, they would leave the dishes for the help to clean but they cleaned the table themselves. Luke even stood and helped to gather the bowls and take them to the kitchen. While Luke and Noah bickered about who would sleep on the floor, Ben tried to stop himself from tapping his hand nervously against his leg.

He saw the look Ms. Williams had given the boys as they teased each other and he wondered at it.

"You said you might start a school for adults?" He asked her, "Is that sort of thing normal in the city?"

"School for adults?" Jesse asked, "Why would you do that?"

"I reckon some people wouldn't mind learnin' a few things," Ben shrugged.

"Who's got time for learnin'? Definitely not us," Jesse snorted.

RE: Yearning Steer (Penner and AR) Random Western Titles.

“Well, it's not a school for adults. That's college or university... No, I am talking about adult education once a week as something extra. Like a town meeting but learning a little... After all, learning never really ends.” She mentioned as she was looking at Jesse.

“Or do you think that you are finished learning for the rest of your life... never going to change?” She bet that he learned something everyday. Kate stood up slowly once again feeling a little better that she got more food into her and the sugar from the lemonade. “I can help a little with the dishes... I need to be on my feet since I have been sitting all day.” She explained.

“No... not yet... I have some watermelon cut up.” Susan said in her usual timid voice as she watched Ms. Williams raise from her seat at the table. The lemonade was to stay on the table as Susan was back in the kitchen and bring out the watermelon that she had cut up into pieces for the family to finish off their supper.

All the plates were returned to the wash basin for her to do before she went to finish her day at the ranch house and was to go back to her cabin. The storm had let up a little but the wind was still blowing a little which was quite normal on the Prairie. She same out soon after and put the pieces of watermelon on the table with a few little pieces so there would not be a mess...

Which was a bit of a false hope being that they were four men... it would be like wanting children to stay clean... Susan was quiet as she leaned over the table and put the plate down before backing away. She wondered if they wanted her to stay for dessert or if she could go and start cleaning.

RE: Yearning Steer (Penner and AR) Random Western Titles.

"Book learning is for children," Jesse responded, "it's not for adults. We got responsibilities, work, things to do other than sit and think."

"That's for sure! Jesse never bothers sitting to think," Luke grinned as he returned to his seat.

Jesse stretched his leg out under the table to give his kid brother a kick, which set off a chain reaction of Noah chucking a piece of watermelon at Jesse's head and next thing all three were in a food fight.

Ben leaned away, and this time he didn't bother trying to stop them. Instead he looked up at Susan and waved his hand, "Thank you. I know you're eager to be done your day. We can handle the rest." The boys were making the mess, he'd have them clean this one.

If even one piece hit Ms. Williams he was going to kill all three but for now it seemed to be a release from all the tension of the day.

He glanced at Ms. Williams, shrugging a little - his version of an apology for this particular scene.

RE: Yearning Steer (Penner and AR) Random Western Titles.

She was a school teacher and had seen a lot of outrageous things along with having seen a lot of things. This little food fight was a bit tame as she reached for some of watermelon to enjoy. “It happens…” She said to Ben with a knowing smile as if she was saying that it was quite alright. She did wonder if anyone in the town would be interested in a weekly class. Well, she had to think about lesson plans for the students… except that she didn’t even know what was going to happen when she was much better?

She supposed that she was going to move to town and then, teach and be a part of this community if she did find a way to get back. Perhaps, she would do that tomorrow or the next day when no one was around. She was going to jump into the trench… she might need a ladder if she was going to do that because… what if it didn’t work. How would she explain being in that trench… again?

These thoughts were in her head as she was suddenly hit with something that was wet and slimy. And then everything went silent as Luke was leaning over his older brother trying to get something back and Jesse had something in his hand as well. Kate looked down at the small piece of watermelon that had been aimed at someone else but had hit her.

She was trying to look serious but instead, her face split into a grin as she laughed… it was funny to her as she said, “You should see the look on all your faces… like you guys enraged the beast…” She said still laughing and trying to wipe the tears from her eyes.

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Three sets of eyes, Noah, Luke and Jesse, turned on Ben. The boys were still frozen in fright.

The tension eased when Ms. Williams laughed.

"Maybe we have," Luke dared to say in reply to her comment about enraging the beast.

Jesse jerked a thumb at Ben while mouthing; "Beast."

Ben pushed his chair back, "Clean it up," he said.

"Ms. Williams," he turned to the laughing school teacher. She was... such an odd thing. "I'll get you some water to clean up with."

It's not that he didn't have a sense of humor, he just hadn't been able to tap into it since his parents died. Raising these boys was all he ever thought about. Keeping them safe, teaching them to behave like proper men... it was a lot of responsibility and sometimes he felt like he was failing miserably.

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No one else was laughing or even cracking a smile but the tension did ease as she said, “It was just an accident.” She said as she was wiping the tears from her laughter from her eyes but was still chuckling a little since she was trying to contend herself. She thought about what they had said about enraging the beast… which was apparently their eldest brother.

Well, she had to wonder what that was about as she was giggling. “Sorry… okay… I’m okay.” She said as she stopped herself from laughing but her mouth was twisted in a grin. “Here… I can come with you to get the water.” She mentioned as she looked up at him.

He was a serious man… also hot but serious too, something that she had seen before. After all, she did not know what he had seen in his life to be this way. She hadn’t really even seen anything probably comparing to this family. She had lived in the 20th and 21st century and seen all the modern conveniences… often that she had taken for granted. The house was not going to have electric light when the sunset that evening. It was going to be lit with candles and most likely once one. She didn’t doubt if the help made all the candles for the family and themselves to use. It’s not like you could get them from Bath and Body Works for 30 bucks and them smelling like Apples or Cinnamon.

Standing up perhaps a little too quickly, she was used to be capable and it seems that she had forgot about that as she was up and her body swinging forward a bit. She did catch herself off balance but she reached out for the chair and caught it. Catching herself as she balance herself a little. “I’m alright.” Just tipsy… she thought to herself but she needed to do some walking.

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Ben reacted instinctively, reaching out, his arm sliding around her waist and good lord he needed to stop touching her. He didn't pull back, "You should be resting."

"Is she okay?" Luke asked, dropping the watermelon in his concern.

Noah's eyebrows were arched high as he saw the way his older brother was touching the school teacher. Well, that was interesting and probably borderline inappropriate but Ben was nothing if not the sort to jump in and catch fainting women. He flicked his last piece of watermelon at Luke's face, taking advantage of his brother's distraction for one last shot.

"You took a real hard hit to the head," Ben said in a mildly chastising tone, "you probably feel all right, but you're not. Come on. You can sit and be useful by reading to these kids when they've cleaned up."

"Kids?" Jesse repeated with a snort.

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Suddenly, his arm was around her waist and he was holding her upright… and their eyes were on each other. ‘Damn.’ She thought to herself… she didn’t think when she woke up this morning that she was going to be in the arms of a cowboy by the end of the night. A hot one at that… Okay, she needed to get a grip on herself.

Then again, she didn’t think that she was going to be time travelling either. “I know… I’m just stubborn.” She said quietly to him as she looked down for a moment, breaking the temporary spell. “You are right… I will sit down… Should I go to the living room or is in here better?” She asked him, not yet moving away from him.

Oh god, she liked this guy. No… she needed to get back home and not think of this as some terrible romance novel.

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Ben only very reluctantly released his hold on her, but he did so only to offer his arm, "Living room," he said gruffly.

He was suddenly very aware of himself. How he smelled like sweat and cow... how his clothes were dusty and dirty... how she wasn't any of these things. He wondered if she was disgusted by him as he took her hand and tucked it in the crook of his arm.

He couldn't seem to make his tongue work so he instead pulled her towards the living room.

Once they were gone from the room Jesse, Luke and Noah shared a look.

"Well," Noah murmured, "This is getting interesting."

"Never seen Ben turn quite that pink," Jesse said in a soft voice so they wouldn't be overheard.

"He's pink?" Luke asked.

"Oh yeah," Noah chuckled, "Clean slow. I bet he'd appreciate some alone time with our company."

"He's not going to court her, Noah," Jesse said with a shake of his head, "she's way too smart for him."

"Ben's smart!" Luke protested.

"Like a log."

Jesse and Noah shared a soft chuckle at that. And just like that their argument earlier was forgotten. Noah was still sporting a swollen lip because of their fight, but he wasn't the type to hold a grudge, and neither was Jesse. Tomorrow they'd probably fight again, but for tonight they were brothers.

RE: Yearning Steer (Penner and AR) Random Western Titles.

Kate did not mind the smell... it was a ranch and it was something that she had smelled before. If anything, her mind wasn't even on it. Sure, she was a modern girl who lived in the city but she was a teacher of middle schoolers. Nothing really fazed her... too much. Well, time travel had in a way. Yeah, she wished she could travel back in time but now, she was not so sure.

It wasn't horrible thus far but she did not really know. “Alright, living room it is...” She said in a cheerful voice trying to see if the quiet man was going to talk more... or was he going to give her one word answers.

“Is there any books that I should read?” She asked. “Any that you want to hear?” Kate said as her arm was in his and they were walking slowly to the living room from the dining room. They had to go into the hallway before the parlor. “Do you have Pride and Prejudice? That's one of my favourite books... it's timeless.” She said with a smirk. “And there's also Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre...” Was Little Women written yet? She didn't think so...

---

Susan was in the kitchen washing dishes and working on making the kitchen tidy so she could be on her way to her own cabin and clean that up a little before she would have her visitor for the evening. She refused to be with Noah in the house because she knew that she would get in so much trouble... for some reason, her cabin was more secretive in the veil of night.

Looking outside, the weather had died down as she had the tea towel on her shoulder... oh, she was to get some clothing for Miss Kate to wear as she went to do exactly that, going out the backdoor before it got dark out.