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Help Unwanted-Male (wolvenrogue and nightsorceress)

wolvenrogue

wolvenrogue

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Aug 21, 2011
Tom Warren was glad to get off the family ranch. Working under his Daddy's thumb had been a great way to learn , but for a 23 year old young buck, it was getting tiresome. He took off from Oklahoma south to west Texas with a good cutting horse, a sadddle, and a ten gallon ego. He was a tall lanky young man with broad shoulders and narrow hips just made for a saddle. His hair was sandy brown, and his eyes blazing blue. He arrived in San Angelo and headed for the Saloon where he hoped to get word if anyone in the vacinity was looking for cow hands. He was not dissapointed, and after a beer and a shot , he rode out to see the boss on the Dugan place 20 miles to the southwest. He pulled up at the ranch house late that afternoon.

He was hired on an hour later when he saw a beautiful woman , wearing jeans and a drover ride up on the main house and go in. " who is that?' he asked Paul, the man who ha just hired him, " you will find out soon enough!" came the answer.
 
Lillian was angry there was no hiding it and everyone knew it. Her father had recently passed away, leaving her on their horse ranch. She was more then ready to inherit and run on her own, when she heard about the conditions to run the own ranch. She had to be married. Her father was afraid of her being alone out on the ranch by herself and felt she needed the protection of a man.She didn't understand she could ride better than any many. She was a good shot and she was tough as any man. Did her father have that little faith in her.

Lillian was working in the hot midafternoom sun when she saw her uncle ride up and a young man behind him. She rolled her eyes she knew what this was about. her uncle would control the horse ranch until she was married and since he no interest in running a ranch he hired help for lily. She tried to ignore them riding up on the main house hoping they both just go away.
 
"Well Tom, this will either be the best job or the worst you have ever had . Miss Lillian is no english garden flower, and she is a firstrate horsewoman and a crack shot. She is none too happy with her late father or me because of this arrangement. That's why i hired you. She shouldn't resent you as much as I. Who knows, she may even take a liking to you. She is pretty, but just like a rattle snake she has a mean bite.

Tom was beginning to wonder what he had got into., but it was too early to decide, so he got settled in the bunk house and thenwent out to the barn to start evening chores.
 
Lily sighed when she saw the new hand enter the bunk house. She would just have to drive him away I given a little time. She grabbed a bail of hay and headed into the barn. She was shocked to see him in there. She toss the bail of hay down as if it weighed nothing. "Hey you what you think your doing in here?"
 
"well mam, its what I'm being paid for, and I aint in the habit of shirkin my duties. So, till I her different from mr. dugan, I be caring for the horses every day. That and mending fences , tending to the tack, and whatever else need a doin. If you don like that, I suggest you take it up wid Mr. Dugan. In the mean time, we best be careful who's feedin what. Too much grain and the horses get sick, but then I'm sure you know dat. They already got their grain for today."

Seeing shee was feeding hay, he went about brushing them out one at a time.
 
"Don't you dare come to my land and presum to tell me what to do and what you are going to do. You don't know the first thing about this ranch or the horses on it. And as for my uncle he may have hired you but he has no control over the daily activities on this ranch. No go on get back to the bunk house and stay there so I can get my work done" she ordered with angry tone
 
Well mam , I beg to differ. I grew up raising horses. Been doin it since I learned to walk. Now if you love horses as you claim to, you'll welcome the help. theys too many here for one person to properly care for , and i'll not see em neglected. if that's what ye want, ye best be prepared to shoot me. cause otherwise, I'll be doin my job, and you wont be stoppin me. Mr. Dugan, he warned me you wouldn't like me bein' here. He didn't say you was that selfish and proud. I guess I knows diffrent. "

He went on with his grooming not even looking up as he talked.
 
"I have been getting on fine without any help from anyone. The horse are fed and well cared for. So don't tell me they will be neglected." It was true lily had been working hard to take care of the horse in her own. So hard in fact she was killing herself. She hadn't really eaten much of rested for more than a few hours but she wanted to prove to everyone she could do it without a man by her side.
 
"Well mam, I agree they aren't neglected, but if it were me, I'd either have half this many so i could care for them the way I wanted, or get some help. No offense, but what do you have to prove? i don't care a lick how tough you are, or what happens between you and your family. I'm here to tend horses, and I'll thank you to let me do my job. if yo see me neglect or mistreat them then you can take your gun and run meoff or shoot me, otherwise leave me be! "
Tom was getting irritated now, and he was close to doing something he might regret, but he stopped and went back to work.
 
"This whole matter is known of your bussiness. Now go one get out of here. You don't know enough to be on my land." Now she was moving closer to him she was really angry now. "Don't make me drive you out of this barn with my gun. I will"
 
He paid her no heed, and kept up his work. It was clear to him that her words were driven by passion and not good sense. He felt bad that she had been brought to this point. "You are right, its none of my business. My business is tending horses. " He never looked up, but continued .
 
It was getting late there was still work to be done. She need to stop arguing with this man and get her work done. "I don't trust you near my horses. Get out to the back pasture along the ridge look at the fences there see what you will need to mend them that will be your job starting tomorrow." She just wanted him gone until she could think of something better to get him gone period.
 
Sorry Mam , I'll do that tomorrow, the horses need attention now. I only get judged by their care, not by how you feel about it. "If you are fool enough to shoot a gun in a barn full of horses, then I'll see Mr. Dugan about it tomorrow. Now leaave me be ! there's work to be done, I got no time for aguments. "

He ignored her then as he continued grooming each horse one at a time, with hands that showed both his love for the animals, and skill that was obvious and only came from years of practice. Finding one with a loose shoe. He stopped and reset it. He cleaned each stall so the horse would be comfortable.
 
"Oh you will be hearing from Mr Dugan tomorrow he will explained to you that this my ranch, and you will follow my orders." She looked at him a pure hatered oozed off her. She went to work feeding and watering the horses. As he went to enter the last stall where there were two horses stalled together she dropped what she was doing and went after him. She grabbed him by the shoulder knocking him out of the way. "No one but me will tend to theses horse. That is something I will kill you over. Do you understand" she meant every word she said
 
"Then they best be taken care of " he said tersely. "Mam I've taken all the abuse I intend to from you. I warn you! If you threaten my life again you had better mean it. I've given you all the grace your gonna get. I'll not warn you again. leave me be." His words were calm but terse. He was no barking dog, he was one ready to bite, and bite hard. He left her in the stall and went about putting things away, and then left for the bunk house.
 
She drew a breath when he finally left her alone. Her life was coming a part and quickly. She entered the stall with the two horse. She started to feed them and went to brush them but then she just couldn't her hands were shaking to badly. She sunk down in the corner of the stall and just cried everything was overwhel,ing
 
Tom was up well before the sun the next morning and after loading a wagon with fencing supplies, he went to the barn to turn out the horses, as was his usual routine, he turned them out to pasture one by one watching each ones gate as it scampered across the field. When he got to the last stall, with the two horses that Miss Lilly had been so posessive of he paused. Something wasn't right, the horses were pressed up against the door.
 
Lily had fallen a sleep in the stall. Her body just so worn out and her mind racing she couldn't help it. It wasn't till the next morning when she heard the horses running out that she started to wake. She looked around and sighed when she realized she had fallen a in the barn. She stood up but then came eye to eye with the hand. She looked at him a moment. "I thought you were mending fences today" she said plainly.
 
" I am just as soon as the horses are turned out. I'm sure you know that needs done first . I'll leave those two you as you requested. The others are already out to pasture as they should be by now. Should you need me, I'll be in the north pasture. Have a nice day Miss Lilian" with that he turned and left the barn and climbed on the wagon . Max the big draft horse was waiting eagerly. Tom would turn him out in the rich north pasture while he mended fences.
 
As Tom mended the fence an older man was walking just past the fence. He noticed Tom and made his way over shocked to see help on Miss Lillian ranch. "Well I can't believe it miss Lillian is letting some on her land to help" the man stated to Tom "wait this wasn't her doing was it boy." He chuckled. "How are things on the ranch?" The man was friendly just one of those harmless comes looking to talk.
 
"Well sir, I ain't much in the mood to gossip. I already got more than I bargained for to deal with, so if you want to talk about Miss Lillian, I suggest you talk to her in person. Meantime, I'd just as soon be left alone. I got work to do." The old man scratched his head. "Well sir Your a man of wisdom, that's for sure, but there is no need of being standoffish." "Well sir, I guess if you want to talk, that's well enough, but I hope you won't think me rude, if I keep working. Miss Lillian don't think I'm worth much, and I'm not about to give her any reason to critcize. "

Tom continued working, but listened to what the man had to say.
 
"Well then it's good thing I came a long to tell you, it isn't you." The man leaned against a section of fence. "Miss Lillian has had more hurt and trouble in her life time then I have in mine. You see her mother was killed in a shoot out when she was 6, the poor woman was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Then when Lillian was older she thought she found true love, wedding date was set and everything. Until her fiancé nearly beat her to death when she questioned him on plans for the ranch. No one thought she would live. The town made sure he didn't." The man sighed "then her father was shoot to death right there in the barn when he tried to stop some boys from stealing the horses."
 
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