A Place to Hang your Hat [AnnaBeth and Sigr]

[Sigr]

Alba kicked the wheel of her car, an old red Mustang that had left her stranded in the Middle of Nowhere, state of Montana, unless she was hopelessly lost as well as lacking horsepower. Another kick to the wheel only served for the tip of her Converse sneakers to get a black streak, not that she minded, as they were an already old pair that had a map of her life in small holes and stains all over their red fabric. Sitting on the side of the dusty road, she leaned against the very car that had abandoned her, a desperate seek for shade in the warm day. It seemed that her poorly maintained ride had seen better days when her father took care of it, and the extra load of the trailer that was dragging under the sun had ended up killing it.

Her head rested on her hands, elbows leaned on her knees as her long black locks of hair escaped between her fingers. She could have avoided ending there, she could have accepted the help, but no, she was too proud for that, too much to prove. Now her entire life was hastily packed on that horrible metallic U-Haul box, and she wasn't just destined far away from everything she knew, she had also failed to arrive to the destination of her exodus. Self pity was out of character for her, so she had to take matters into her hands if she wanted to get out of that flat, boring place. Rising up from the road, she shook the dust from the back of her skinny jeans, a futile attempt to make her look taller that were paired with a plain white short sleeved shirt.

She usually dressed better than that, partly due to her job as a federal agent, but now she was off service and didn't have the presence of mind nor was her self esteem high enough as to take better care of herself. Peeking into the car by the open window, she reached for her smartphone, ready to ask for any kind of service that would get her and the life she towed on her back somewhere else. As if mocked by a cruel and angry god, the words No Service were present on the top of her terminal, making her unable to control herself and smash it in a thousand pieces against the ground.

"Are you fucking kidding me?!" she shouted to the top of her lungs.

Alba had ended up doing something stupid and impulsive, again. It wasn't enough with roughing up a suspect to the point of getting demoted away from Boston, no, she had to also crash her phone into smithereens. Luckily for her the cloud took care of the few pictures she had, a mixture of tense family images intermingled with a never ending conga of failed boyfriends. Sometimes she thought that she only had her job to fall back to, and now... not even that.

Climbing up to her car's hood, she used her caramel skinned hands as a visor to shield her eyes and peek into the horizon, scanning her surroundings to see if she could find something of note that could help someone that just thrashed the only map she was carrying.

 

[AnnaBeth]

Half a day, not counting time to ride out from the ranch to start the search, and still no sign of the missing calf. If she didn't find it today and drive it back in, or strap it down across the pack mule she was leading behind her horse, it wasn't going to be necessary to search tomorrow. That long without milk from her mother, a first-calf heifer that showed good promise for years of calves to come, and it would die. Not of exposure but from simple hunger-induced exhaustion that would either mean it would lay down and not bother to drink or the wolves would get it. There weren't a lot of them about, and they were a lot smaller than the telling of them from her grandpa and his buddies, but they occasionally cut out a weak animal and took it down. She wasn't planning to shoot one if she ran across it, but if she had to she would and it was covered under the need to protect livestock. Montana was still cattle country for all the more modern ideas it had adopted, and you just didn't let stock be killed. Coyotes, she had no qualms about putting one of those sneaky little bastards in the dirt, but wolves were special. Endangered really.

A click of her tongue and a shift of her body caused her horse to stop and she stood up in the stirrups. The binoculars she used to glass the land were her grandfather's, just like the lever action rifle in the scabbard on the saddle and the old Colt pistol in a holster around her waist. Just because something was old didn't mean it wasn't useful, and Grandaddy said he'd taken the binoculars off a German officer back in WWII though she suspected that was just so much hornswaggle, a good story and not exactly a lie.

Looking as much for the calf as for circling birds or thinking about the way an animal would walk, what parts of the terrain it would follow which was different than that from what a person would, she saw that there was a car with a trailer stopped on the narrow, not much used road that cut across the bottom of the valley. Her horse shifted under her. "Hold still, Ace," she said and squeezed in with her legs against his barrel chest, getting a whicker from him and a tail flick that almost slapped her calves but he held still. Half-turned in her saddle she studied the car, wondering why it was stopped, then saw a figure, thought it was a woman by how short she was, climb up on the hood and look around like she was lost.

A few more minutes of study made her believe she wasn't lost but her car was broke down. Knowing there was no cell service, and figuring any fool dumb enough to drive a low slung sports car, towing a trailer nonetheless, wouldn't know what to do besides get themselves hurt, she sighed and abandoned, for the moment, the search for the calf.

The suggestion of her heels in Ace's ribs put him into motion and she neck reined him towards the car far, far below. It was probably a thousand foot difference between where she was on the side of the mountain, and a good two miles distant. Took them almost a half hour to get down there, horse and mule and woman, until she started to come up on the car from the right hand side. She stopped about fifty feet away. You didn't just ride right up on someone.

Fingers to her lips, she gave a short, sharp whistle. The mule's ears pricked up and he brayed in protest at the sound. "Don't pay him no mind, lady," she called to the woman she saw emerge from the car. "Mule ain't got nothing to say anyhow. He's just mad I'm working him today."

"Names Beth. Beth McCurdy," she said and sketched a hand to the brim of the open weave straw cowboy hat she wore, so much more practical than a felt one for summer. "Looks like you got some car troubles."

She was slim and tall, taller than Alba by at least a head, and seemed painfully young. Long straight red hair that blew freely in the breeze was kept off her face by the cowboy hat, a hat that shaded a milky complexioned face full of freckles, a wide generous mouth and snub nose, and eyes the color of the small pretty cornflowers that blossomed in leftover hay. She wore jeans with leather chaps, a white cami top over which she had on a long-sleeved blue and white cotton plaid shirt, and of course pointy-toed cowboy boots that were well used but also showed a lot of care in them, scratched in places and with the soles worn down but still polished or at least oiled often to keep them from cracking.

Beth swung her right leg out of the stirrup and dismounted on the left hand side, dropping the reins to the ground in front of Ace. He wouldn't wander more than to graze and she looped the lead of the mule around the saddle horn and snubbed it off. The mule would wander, out of sheer contrariness if for no other reason, and would enjoy making her chase him across the countryside. The big Colt revolver on it's leather belt hung low on her right hip, belt higher on the left, just like a gunfighter from old. The rifle she left in its scabbard on the saddle and the butt of it poked just above. On the left, where it was visible to Alba, was the distinctive coil of a lasso.

"Excuse me," she said, walking past Alba and leaning in the open window of the car. Blinking hard to adjust to the dim interior, she found the hood latch and popped it, then went to the front of the car and pushed it up, using the little rod to keep it from falling on her. It didn't take long to see what was wrong.

"There's your problem," she said and motioned Alba over. "See there? That black rubber thing that's all tore up? That's the belt, and you need a new one because this filly ain't going nowhere until you get one. Sorry, not an easy fix and patch we can do here."

Beth wiped the black grease and grim from her hands on the back of her jeans, like she was rubbing her butt, and looked calmly at the shorter, dark-haired woman. "Your cell phone don't work, I reckon. Never does out here. Closest place with a working phone is our spread. Well, you're on our spread technically but I mean the house. You want to leave a note on the off chance the Sheriff comes this way before we head out? Or get anything you need to bring? Mike might as well do some work today," she said and tossed her head at the mule who showed all of his teeth in a warning look.

 

[Sigr]

Nothing. Nothing at all. Sure, it wasn't a desert, but the mountains and general geography did nothing for her. Back in the city she could yell for reinforcements on the radio and know on what street she was almost just by the smell, but there? How could she know where a town could be? Or at least a damned gas station. Walking in the direction she was going would do her no good, that far she knew, so before doing anything rash or moronic, at least anything else beyond the chain of events that had brought her into that situation, she could as well wait. Getting into the car to escape from the sun, Alba opened the glove compartment, moved her gun and badge aside and grabbed the water bottle there, taking a healthy gulp. She should make it last, as she had barely crossed any vehicles in a while. Climbing to the back seat, she just laid down there, feet propped high out one of the windows so she could rest properly and show that there was indeed someone inside. Her small height made easy for her to accommodate herself in that car, but it wasn't as that made Alba any happier.

A sudden whistle woke her up, seemingly dozed off in the heat there. It was true that she had been sleeping little as of late, but that was hardly anything new, as she barely slept at all when she had a hard case. Scrambling to get up, Alba saw quite the picturesque image outside of a young woman atop a horse, dragging a mule behind her. If it wasn't for the fleeting back pain the awkward posture in the car was causing her, Alba would have thought that it was some kind of dream, too good to be true. A wholesome cowgirl complete with saluting by touching the brim of her hat? Where the hell had she ended?

"Alba Bertorelli" she muttered, slowly recovering of the surprise, getting out of the vehicle. "I've got many troubles, but the car ones are most pressing" Alba added, nodding. It was hard to say while mounted, even if Alba had a good eye she wasn't paying much attention, but once Beth got down of the horse there were a few painfully obvious facts. One: The girl, as she barely seemed a woman at that moment, was quite taller than her even if she was younger. Two: She was visibly armed, something that irked Alba and made her think of her gun in the glove compartment, but it was clear that she had ended in the wild country, where such things were seemingly normal. And three: Her no bullshit approach to the problem showed that not only she knew about horses but also cars, and that Alba's was beyond a jury rig repair at the moment.

She was peeking into the engine, mostly because Beth had motioned for her to approach, not out of interest or knowledge, but just going through the motions and presenting the most friendly version of herself that she could afford at the time, that wasn't saying much. "It worked, but it had no signal and I smashed it all over there" Alba sighed making a vague gesture with a hand. "Not my best day, I'll admit" she shook her head. Following Beth was sometimes a pain as she spoke like she was just out of a western movie, but with the context of the conversation and the clarifications she made from time to time it was enough. It was kind of odd seeing a cute freckled girl talk like a toughened desperado, but considering that she was her only chance to get a taste of civilization she was going to take it.

"Good idea about the note" Alba nodded, pushing herself to be amicable. Opening the glove compartment she grabbed a bunch of stuff and put it on the hood of the car. The half empty bottle of water shone bright lights into the regulation Glock 22 and her US Marshal badge, while she took a notepad and a pen to write the note. "Car broken. I'm at the McCurdy house" Alba voiced out loud as she wrote it, leaving the note on the windshield. "Fuck the car and fuck my luggage, I've all I need right here" she added to the offer of help, getting the holstered gun and the badge in their place on the belt, emptying the water bottle on her mouth and throwing it inside the car. "So... I'm guessing that it's close by?" she asked, looking at Beth with eager brown eyes, wanting to be done with that damned trip.

 

[AnnaBeth]

"Pleased to make your acquaintance, Miss," she said, not even trying to pronounce the rolling syllable last name the lady gave. It sounded Italian, and the woman had a rough as nails Yankee accent but she seemed all right otherwise. The smashed phone, her boots crunched over the glass from the screen and made her notice it after the lady mentioned breaking it, was a little worrying like maybe she had a temper but didn't everyone from time to time? She'd thrown a pair of fencing pliers one day after hitting her thumb with them, cussed like granddaddy, and had to spend a quarter of an hour trying to find them among the grass. If she'd had something like a phone around she might have smashed it too.

Waiting patiently for the lady to write her note, Beth appreciated that she read it out loud, keeping her from wondering what it said. Blue eyes shaded by the brim of her hat didn't miss the gun, or the badge, and though they glanced at them there wasn't any alarm in the girl's body. Behind her Ace snorted and jerked his body to the side, dragging the mule along with him towards where Ace wanted to graze. She didn't look at that either, taking on both things as just how they were and not anything worrying about them.

"If you're sure you don't need anything then we can get going. How close it is depends on how you figure things." Beth pushed her hat back and wiped at her forehead with the back of her hand then jammed it back on. "Warm today," she said, "might come a gully washer later though, so we best get moving." Beth turned and pointed towards some clouds that looked like they were heavy and fat, almost grey. "Going to hit that mountainside," her finger indicated a sharp-edged peak, "and slide off it like water off a duck's back then slide back down on us. If you got rain gear, you might want to get it. If not you can wear my duster and we'll be fine. It's...oh I reckon five hours back to the house."

"Uh, no disrespect Miz Bertorelli," she said slowly, tongue awkward with the last name, "but I reckon you're not one for riding horses often unless you're one of those mounted policemen I see on the TV. We're going to have to double up, Mike don't like no one on him even though he'll haul his own weight in load, so it's the two of us on Ace. Luckily you're a bitty little thing."

Beth whistled again, a two tone note, and Ace picked his head up and walked towards them, stopping just shy of Beth and pushing the flat of his head against her chest, breath whickering from his nostrils against her belly and legs. She scratched behind one ear, making it turn this way and that, then backed up and rubbed the velvet softness of his nose. "You ready to go home, boy? Not much of a ride today, sorry." Her left hand gathered up the reins and she mounted from his left side, swinging up onto the tall horse with flexible, practiced ease.

"You can come on over here, Miss," she said and extended her left hand, leaning down out of the saddle and pulling her left foot free of the stirrup. "Always from the left side now, that's how they're trained. Just grab my forearm put your left foot in the stirrup, and I'll pull you up behind me. Just like in the movies," she said with a little laugh. "Come on. He won't hurt you."

She cut an eye towards the mule, warning him off with a glance and a touch at the lasso. If he got too close or ornery she'd smack him across the nose. "Now that one, Satan's own son and don't let his goofy looks fool you. He's a biter."

 

[Sigr]

Alba had trouble deciphering both that girl's age and what the hell she talked about. On one hand Beth was pointing at the clouds and the word washer was telling enough paired with the urgency that they could end up getting drenched. On the other front, she was taller and looked accustomed to work hard, experienced, but her youthful face threw Alba's instincts away. Excellent police work she was doing, what the hell, she was off duty after all. "It's all in boxes anyway, so it would be a bother" she ended up deciding, not wanting to waste more time searching for some kind of clothing that would do little if they got caught in the rain anyways. "Five hours walking? This is going to be like a damned manhunt" she grunted. It wasn't as she didn't have her own share of chasing around for fugitives, but doing it because her car had croaked was a pain.

"Call me Alba, please, hearing you say Miss Bertorelli makes me look around for my mother" she requested, noticing that they weren't supposed to walk, but riding both of them on that horse. "No, never mounted before" she admitted, noticing that it really was going to be one fucked up day through and through, wasn't it? Alba visibly frowned when Beth called her small, or at least her country cutesy way of saying so. She was no stupid, not only was aware of that, but she also well knew that Beth meant no ill, but it still caught her by surprise. "Yes, I'm feeling wicked lucky" she snorted, seeing Beth whistle for that damned horse.

Their ride getting close while he lowered his enormous head to Beth's chest level basically meant that she had that creature face to face due to her height. Trying not to thing about it, she looked in awe how easily the girl had hopped into the horse. Well, they were trained for that, right? It couldn't be that hard. "Left side, left foot" Alba repeated while nodding, getting closer to the ride, not getting the mule out of her sight, specially after Beth's warning. Doing so as instructed, she still felt as a dwarf next to the big horse, but jockeys were even smaller and they did ride, right? With Beth's help Alba managed to climb on the ride, even if clumsily and ending up a bit wobbly, noticing how strong the girl was. The ground suddenly felt way too far for comfort, making Alba take hold of Beth's waist with both hands.

"Is this position fine?" Alba asked, making sure she was close to Beth for safety, her perky chest stuck to her back. She had been in the back of a motorcycle more than once, so this could be more or less the same. Of course, it would be inappropriate for her to rest her head on the rider's back as she used to, taking advantage of her height, so she stood straight, keeping her balance. They hadn't started moving yet and she already knew that it was going to be one hell of a long five hour stretch. "So... much crime around? Couldn't help but notice that you are packing some heat" Alba commented, out of professional habit and feeling bad about it almost instantly. Well, they couldn't stay silent during five hours, that was for sure. "You do good by protecting yourself though, specially here in the middle... I mean is so big this place..." she changed the direction of what she was going to say mid sentence, feeling like she was messing up at every word.

"I was supposed to reach my new post in..." Alba opened her eyes wide. "Fuck, I don't remember the place and the information was on the phone" admitted. "I think it had prairie on the name... or was it valley..." she mumbled, her voice trembling with the steps of the horse.

 

[AnnaBeth]

Lady liked to talk, that was for sure, and she was more than a little prickly. Beth guessed that stereotypes about Yankees existed for a reason but she had to admit she kind of liked the woman's accent. Her ars stretched out into ahhs and didn't that sound funny, and nice too. And the way she said wicked, it was just like in the movies. Beth kind of wanted to hear more of it and figured she'd get the chance. For the moment she just listened, taking in everything and trying to let the woman settle herself in.

"We need to shift you about a little bit. Even together we don't weigh much, you're bitty and I'm a rail, but it's how it sits on Ace that matters. Hang on." Beth reined Ace in and slid down, moving her right leg over the cantle of the saddle instead of behind her as normal so she wouldn't kick Alba in the face. "Raise up, no scoot forward into the saddle proper," she instructed, then busied herself with the blanket roll on the back of the saddle, untying it and moving if forward so it rested atop the back of the saddle. "You're going to be sore and no getting around it, but this will help you and Ace. We'll walk every hour or so to stretch your legs out. Scoot on back now," she urged and put her hand on Alba's thigh and knee to help her before swinging back up in the saddle herself. The improvised, padded seat put Alba resting right up against Beth, no other choice at all. "You can hold on-" she grunted as Alba's arms squeezed a little bit too tight but let it go for the moment. The city woman would get confident soon enough and ease up, no reason to nag at her.

"I reckon it's Valley County?" she said. "That's where we are. Prairie county isn't near here, unless you're passing through, and I don't know of any city with that name, those names, in them. We can check the map when we get to the house." Guiding Ace they began to go sideways up the side of the hill Beth had come down from, at a much shallower angle though it added more distance.

"I guess a lawman," she paused and laughed, "lawwoman? Law lady? I don't know the word, but I guess she'd be interested in Granddaddy's hardware. This," she switched the reins to the other hand and patted the well worn handle of the revolver, "is a Colt Single Action Army. Grandaddy said he carried it in the war but he likes to stretch the truth right around itself so it's looking back at you sometimes. And this," she patted the stock of the lever action rifle, "is just an old .30-30 that he learned me to shoot on and I'm partial to it. If you want to take a gander at the pistol, go ahead and fish it out. There's not a round under the hammer but I'd appreciate it if you didn't put a hole in me. Figure you know how to be safe with a gun since you're the law and got one of your own."

"Not many two-legged pests out here, no ma'am, but any number of four-legged ones. Sometimes I have to put one down to keep them off the stock, or sometimes a cow does some crazy thing and breaks a leg and we have to put her down too. Waste of meat."

Beth twisted in the saddle, red hair sweeping across Alba's face and her front, until she could look back across her shoulder at the dark haired lady. This close the color of her blue eyes was even more pronounced, a splash of sunlight coming in through the loose weave of the hat casting brightness on them. "What kind of law are you anyway? Got to be something fancy for them to send you all the way here from back East. Boston?"

 

[Sigr]

"No, it should be around, I would swear there was no much left..." Alba said unsure. She had been guided by the now shattered phone, and was anything but sure. Having stormed out of Boston like a disgruntled teenager that slams the door of their room, Alba was poorly informed about her destination. She was aware of Marshal's offices in Billings, Helena of course, and there were others in... Great Falls or something alike, but if she didn't remember wrong those places were still far away. All the big cities were further to the west, but there had to be some other office around, she just wasn't aware of it. "Nothing that can't be sorted out over the phone" she ended up deciding, leaving destination matters for whenever she wasn't bouncing on a horse holding to a cowgirl taller than her.

"Just marshal I guess" Alba managed a smile, even if it didn't last much, finding how candid Beth acted endearing. "Can I?" she made sure, before reaching for the revolver. It wasn't like Alba was a gun nut, or at least she wouldn't define herself like that, but she liked reliable tools and differently from her notorious ignorance at all things car related, she knew her weapons. "Nice craftsmanship, well maintained" she nodded, feeling secure enough as to not be holding on to Beth the whole time, leaving the gun back as she had it. That it was Beth the one carrying her weapon like a gunslinger from a movie while she was the one with the star on her badge amused Alba, brightening her mood. "Still, better be sure, the two legged ones are the most dangerous" she mused.

Beth turning around made her hair tickle Alba on her face and neck, the red curtain lifted to let her eyes steal the show. She was observant enough to notice before that that they were a bright tone of blue, so far from her own dark chocolate ones, but in this light, that close, those sapphires were something else. It was a blue out of a a Vermeer painting, like the Girl with the Pearl Earring had turned to look at her but with eyes the color of her notorious turban. She had seen the picture displayed on New York a few years ago, but for a moment, for a split second as the light played through the hat, the picture came out losing.

"We marshals are the agents of the law" Alba croaked, clearing her throat. "We provide safety for judges, apprehend fugitives, protect witnesses and seize criminal assets, for example. She had downplayed it, but there was no hiding that was proud of her job, even if there was a hint of resentment in her voice. Alba managed to recover from the impression that Beth had caused on her up close, wondering what was up with that. Maybe the pastoral environment and bucolic situation caught her unaware, after all she had a good eye for art and was just enraptured by the situation for a moment.

Yeah, it was just that.

 

[AnnaBeth]

"Powerful lot of responsibility," Beth replied, reaching out in front of them at the same time to push a low hanging pine branch out of their way, leaning back into Alba a bit to make sure it cleared them both before letting it snap back down, sending a small spray of fragrant needles on both of them, several of which nestled in the back of Beth's long red hair. "Sheriff Bartlett, he mainly seizes coffee and the newspaper at the diner in town," she joked but not viciously. "Not a lot for him to do, really and that's a good thing he says. Back, oh, forty years ago when a lot of people were losing their land because of the banks foreclosing on the predatory loans they made he was just a fresh faced kid with a star on his chest. He gained a lot of respect then. When he had to go serve the foreclosure order he and his wife, she was pregnant at the time too I remember Granddaddy saying, they put people up until the auction. Then wouldn't you know it? Seems as how every time there was an auction he had to close the roads to the place because of bad repair, for public safety, and the only folk who could get in and bid were people who had horses. Awful low bids on those properties too, usually around a dollar, and boy did Grandaddy say them banker fellas were mad." She laughed at the retelling of a story that had acquired something of a folk hero status. “You should meet him before you pass on through after you get your car fixed.”

The ride continued on and, as promised, they stopped every hour to let Alba hop off and stretch her legs and walk the soreness out. Beth noticed how much it hurt her, and knew she’d be crippled up tomorrow, but politely ignored it and didn’t make fun of Alba’s discomfort. Three hours into it it began to rain, as Beth had predicted, and she shook out a heavy leather duster that smelled like the lanolin it was treated with and insisted Alba bundle up in it. It was long and split front and back for a rider and it covered her up, even down across her legs, and had a hood that could be pulled up. Beth just ignored the rain, even though it was fairly cool, but didn’t fuss when Alba kept pressed up close against her back, sharing the warmth. That and Ace provided enough to be okay if not exactly comfortable but she never complained.

It was still raining as they rode up the lip of a ridge and all sudden like there was a ranch below them. Two big barns, one for animals and the other for equipment, a long bunkhouse, then a rambling ranch house with a wraparound porch on two sides with rocking chairs and a little table set between them near the kitchen door. Sticking to the graveled drive, Beth rode right up to the edge of the porch.

An old man, wrinkled as a raisin and looking as tough as rock maple, stood just under the edge. Like Beth he was dressed simply, though he didn’t wear chaps and his hat was off showing a gone ginger crop of hair that was as thick as Beth’s and showed their relationship.

“I don’t see no calf,” he said, voice firm and strong.

“No, sir. Got a mite distracted and had to give up looking for it,” she answered, not with sorrow or worry either, just stating facts.

“So I see,” he replied dryly.

“This is Miz Bertorelli,” Beth said as she helped Alba out of the saddle but kept her own seat in it, resting her hands on the cantle. “Car broke down on Snake Curl road, about a mile this side of the wash. Miz Bertorelli is a Marshal, Granddaddy.”

“Is that right?” he said, eyes the same color as Beth’s swinging towards the woman. “Well, nice to meet you and come on in by the fire while Beth puts the horse and mule up.” He came down into the rain, ignoring it, to shake Alba’s hand and lead her inside, arm across her back in a guiding fashion.

“Thought I’d go back and look some more,” Beth said.

The old man stopped under the porch and helped Alba out of the duster then tossed it to Beth. “Be dark by the time you got there,” he said. “And you got work to do here, don’t you?”

“Yes, sir,” she answered, a little unhappily. “But-”

“But me no buts, girl, or I’ll be tanning one. You can make one more look see tomorrow after breakfast but I want you back before nightfall. You understand me?”

“Yes, sir,” she said again, hands busy with putting the duster across her lap. “I’ll send Luke and Walker down after her car with the truck and jeep. She’s got a trailer too,” Beth said and clucked to turn Ace and Mike towards the bunkhouse.

He watched her go before turning back to Alba. “That girl,” he said but with a smile on his face. “She’s going to make me old before my time I swear. Bertorelli, huh? Sounds Eye-talian,” he said, adding a unique pronunciation of Italian. “Served with a few boys from New York who were Eye-talians, on the Canal, maybe your family knows some of them. Come on in, come on in and let me get you a towel and something hot to drink.”

Ushering her inside, the ranch house was dim in the grey afternoon light, but he lit a gas light on the wall, and then a few more in the rest of the house, providing a soft warm glow that went well with the crackling fireplace in the main room, matched by an iron stove in the kitchen that even though it was banked threw off a fair amount of heat. The furniture was rustic, made from big split and sanded and varnished wood but the whole place was clean and well maintained. There did seem to be electricity, as proven by a modern looking flat screen TV, several electrical outlets, overhead lights, and a desktop computer on a corner desk, but it didn’t seem to be working at the moment.

“Get you some coffee or something a little stronger?” he asked. “Beth won’t be but half an hour or so.”

 

[Sigr]

Knowing that the sheriff around those parts was a good considerate man filed in the good news department, many times she had suffered her share of friction with other law enforcement departments during her job, so knowing that this shouldn't be the case pleased her. The ride was still on its first half, and Alba was already sore at all the wrong places, feeling battered and hurt. She had tried to show a tough face, and she had a couple of scars to show that she was no tool that whined for no good reason. In the end, once the rain started to pour on them, drenching the mood and conversation, Alba did end up resorting to rest her head in Beth's back, wanting to keep them both as warm and dry as possible.

"Fucking finally" she uttered, at the sight of the ranch, relieved that she could finally abandon that cunt torturing beast, although if she was honest it was most of her body that was hurting, specially around the thighs and back. Down the gravel road, the horse went up to the edge of the porch, where a hard looking old man was waiting. Looking and sounding like Beth's grandfather, his demeanor seemed as dry as his skin, but maybe it was just tough love. Gladly receiving Beth's help to get down that animal, Alba couldn't help but hobble a bit until she managed to shake that man's hand, following those eyes that seemed to be an experienced echo of Beth's to the porch.

She was showing a bit of a frown when Beth insisted to not call her by just her name, but she chalked it up to the fact that she was just well mannered and old fashioned with her grandfather in front of her. The talk about the missing calf, the job pending and Beth's unhappy face made Alba feel guilty. It was her fault that she didn't manage to do what she was set out to do, and she may had misunderstood him, but for a moment she thought he was threatening her with a spank? Shaking her head, she looked at Beth carrying Ace and Mike back to where they belonged, turning to face Beth's grandad. "Mister McCurdy, thank you for the help, it's my fault that she got sidetracked" she commented, testing the waters and opting to be as respectful as she managed. "I won't tell you what to do, as it shows that she's a well raised girl, but it's not her fault" she decided to add, feeling bad for Beth.

"Maybe they do, but my family is mostly coppers, one way or the other" she indulged Mr. McCurdy's notion that all Italo American people knew each other. Alba was welcomed into the homely place, making herself acquaintanced with the warm fireplace. And there she was whining about the heat just a few hours back, now seeking it to dry herself off and perhaps soften her horse riding aches. She had got to the fire so close that she hadn't paid much attention to the place, but she noticed a few family pictures atop the fireplace.

"I could use both the coffee and the something stronger, if not much of a bother" Alba admitted, craving anything that would either keep her going, dull her pain or both. "Can I use your phone so I can see if I can sort out things?" she asked, being guided to the phone. The call, or more specifically series of calls as she was being bounced from desk to desk and from Marshal office to Marshal office outlasted both the hot coffee and the strong drink, and didn't quench her thirst for answers. It was already quite late, and in Boston it was two hours later, so the unfortunate skeleton crew that was still doing paperwork couldn't answer her questions. "I'll have to call in the morning, sort out where the hell I'm supposed to be destined to" she grunted as an explanation, slowly sitting her battered backside on the soft couch. "Thank you once more for your hospitality" she said to Beth's grandfather, feeling horribly tired in both body and mind.

 

[AnnaBeth]

Mike was already brushed down and in a stall with a manger full of hay, sweet oats sprinkled on top as a treat. Whenever possible she liked to get him done and out of the way first so she could spend more time with Ace. Four years in and she and Ace had made a nice team through thick and thin. His black socks ended sharply into his chestnut coat, and the same black color was repeated in his mane and tail. Unusually for a chestnut he didn't have a white blaze and the whole of his head being the same color made him look a little regal. Beth was wiping and brushing him down, taking care to make sure his mane wasn't tangled up, and feeding him handfuls of oats every few minutes while talking quietly to him about nothing in particular, mainly what a fine boy he was and what a good job he'd done today.

The way his ears flicked back and a tenseness in his muscles warned her.

"Aren't you supposed to be headed out with Luke?" she asked without turning around, but slipped under Ace's neck to the other side of him, keeping the horse between her and Walker. He was a good hand, a hard worker, could get a horse to do anything but that wasn't because he loved them or they him. He was cruel to a horse's mouth, slugged them instead of training them, and a general asshole.

"Thought I'd see if you needed anything, Miss Elizabeth," he said, knowing that both the Miss and her full first name got right under her skin. "You're soaked, like one of them girls in a wet t-shirt contest," he said and grinned with a nod towards her chest. The plaid was open and it was true, she was soaked, but the cami underneath wasn't transparent even though it did cling to her youthful breasts.

"Well I don't and I ain't, so best get to stepping," she told him.

Instead he took a step closer, and Beth used pressure on Ace's rump to angle the horse's back end towards Walker. Ace knew what she wanted and turned his head first left then right, ranging Walker for a kick if he got too close.

"Aww, don't be like that Miss Elizabeth. You know you like me. Come on, give me a little kiss and I'll bring you something pretty from town next time I go."

"Step off," she warned him, voice hard but brittle in spite of how she wanted to be heard. "Don't want nothing from you and if I had my way Granddaddy would send you off to another spread. Go on. Git."

"Yeah but he won't, will he?" Walker said with a grin that was anything but pleasant. "And you know why too. Tell you what, I'll take that kiss on account and you can pay me back later. Maybe I'll come a tappin' at your window tonight and you can open it up and lean out and let me have it."

"I said git," she warned.

Walker's laugh as he left made her shiver in a way that had nothing to do with being chilled from the rain.

---

Alba and Granddaddy were talking, laughing a little bit too, when she came in and Beth saw the open bottle of whiskey between them. Well, it wasn't like it was going to hurt the old man and she reckoned Alba, being a marshal and all, could handle her liquor. Leaving them to talk she went into her room and stripped out of her wet things, putting on a pair of sweat pants and a long-sleeved t-shirt that had the blue and gold B and hornet mascot from Montana State University at Billings logo on it. Socks too, thick ones that were wool and kept her toes right toasty. It was summer, but the nights could still get chill especially when it rained.

"Supper be ready in just a bit, y'all," she announced to the seated figures, then brought over the tin coffee pot, hot handle wrapped in a rag, to refill their cups. "Miss Alba, don't you pay no nevermind to this old man's lies. We ain't had company in a spell and I reckon he's been telling you he's done everything from going to the moon to wrasslin' a mountain lion."

"It was two of them, girl, and don't you forget it," he retorted and jerked his thumb towards the back wall where, sure enough, the head of two mountain lions were mounted amongst other trophies. "Proof right there."

"I didn't forget it. I just am saying you might stretch the truth like that taffy machine at the state fair," she answered back then swayed her backside out of the way like a matador when his hand lashed out to smack it. Giggling, she went back into the kitchen and began setting the table.

He grumbled a bit, but winked at Alba before turning back to talk to his granddaughter. "Luke and Walker gone?"

Even Alba could see and hear the slight pause in Beth's work before she gave a flat answer. "Luke is. Walker dallied around the barn when I was putting Ace and Mike up."

"Guessing he was flirting with you," Granddaddy asked.

"If you want to call it that," she shrugged. "He needs to step off." She and her grandfather shared a look that was hard on both sides, then she turned away and went back to setting the dinner out, plates clattering angrily and her shoulder in a sullen set.

"Supper's on," she called and waited beside the long trestle style table. A pot of savory stew, fresh baked sourdough bread, some cut up tomatoes and a small bowl of blackberries were on the table. Beth's place held a tall glass of milk but water and coffee were set out for the two adults.

"You'll like the bread, Miss Alba," she said, a little of her normal tone returning. "Sheepherders trade it to us for steaks, and we also keep a starter going," she nodded towards a small, heavy looking ceramic jar "but they bake it better'n we do. You do much cooking for your man?" she asked.

 

[Sigr]

"...and then, the fugitive tried to run, but he still had his pants around the ankles!" Alba laughed with the end of one of the stories she was sharing with Mr McCurdy while they drank. He had been nice despite the odd welcome, and the fire, coffee and whiskey helped her to lift her spirits. After all, there was little she could do until the phone call on the next day, so that was tomorrow's trouble. Alba was tired and her body was sore, but even in such a shape she was always the alert marshal. That way she couldn't help but notice that Beth's t-shirt looked from an university, even if she wasn't as knowledgeable to identify from where. How fitting it was discarded a hand me down or a lean from a boyfriend, so Alba guessed that the one she had mistook for a younger girl was already in college, perhaps helping her grandfather during the summer. She wasn't as arrogant to presume her deductions were right, nor was she so nosy as to outright ask, so she tried to let the issue rest in the back of her mind.

Beth's lighthearted attitude with her grandfather and how welcoming the both of them were being brought a smile to her face, enjoying their honesty. They weren't the kind of people that became all stuck up and wanted to show off as soon as they had guests at home, this just looked like usual fare. This just looked like home. Alba followed Beth's movements as she dodged her grandfather's swatting hand, fleeing to the kitchen. The mood soured as soon as the grandfather asked about a couple of men, seemingly employees of some sorts. The air between the McCurdy's grew cold, Alba wondering what was the story there. Usually one would expect the older one telling the youngster to keep away from no good boys with just one thing in mind, but in this case it seemed to be Beth the one wanting nothing with that Walker fellow. Alba was thought not much of it, as Beth seemed to be a tough one that could fend all and any kinds off herself, but there was a look like ice in Beth's blue eyes that lingered in the back of the marshal's mind. She also found herself thinking that it was no surprise that such a beautiful girl had someone chasing her, as she was not only hardworking but pretty.

Abandoning idle thoughts as soon as they were called for supper, Alba's reaction time a bit dulled due to her tired self and how oddly Beth voiced that word, she dragged herself to the table. "Just the smell lifts the spirit" Alba praised with a nod, wanting to talk about something positive after the awkwardness of the scene she didn't dare to step in. It seemed like even if Beth was in college, or that was Alba's idea at least, she still kept some habits of a younger age, seeing the glass of milk at her place. Alba herself was used to eat with wine, at least when she didn't eat some takeout in the office, but she wasn't a picky eater either, so it would be perfectly fine.

"It looks wonderful" Alba admitted, unsure if she was to serve the family or Beth was to take care of that. Wait, maybe they liked to pray before the meals, so Alba just kept her hands to herself. She had been raised Catholic, no big surprises being of Italian descent and living in East Boston, but it wasn't as she was particularly devout. "A starter? I'm afraid you lost me there" she admitted, not knowing what Beth was talking about. It was something about bread, was she talking about making their own? The country could be a mysterious place. "The job keeps me from doing much cooking, although I enjoy doing so on my free days" Alba admitted, the thought of cooking for 'her man' was amusing. She had cooked in the past for some of her boyfriends, the longer lasting ones, but the notion of having a man that belonged to her or her to him sounded ridiculous on her mind. For a moment she frowned, considering that Beth picked her up traveling alone and that they had talked during the way, why did she ask about her having a man at home? Maybe it was just the usual stuff, but something irked her, or at least did until her senses returned to be busier with the delicious aroma of the stew than with her overthinking.

Alba remembered that Beth wasn't present when she made the phone calls, so she wanted to inform her too. "I didn't manage to clarify much over the phone, it was getting late. Will sort it out tomorrow, first thing in the morning" she promised, her attention returning to the supper.

 

[AnnaBeth]

Dinner was a casual, happy affair and the previous tense exchange that somehow centered around Walker wasn't brought up again. Beth brought the ceramic sourdough starter pot over, showing Alba the yeast rich live dough culture inside and explained how some was pinched off every time you made a loaf, and how to keep the culture fed and active. It definitely lived up to the name sour but the bread was delicious, even if it wasn't near as sweet as store bought.

"I can run you into town in the morning, Miss Alba," Beth volunteered, voice surprisingly eager compared to her normal laid back way of talking. "Introduce you to the Sheriff and take you over to get a part ordered for your car."

"And stop in and get some ice cream too, I reckon," her grandfather said, one eyebrow lifted and a teasing look on his face.

"Didn't cross my mind at all, Granddaddy," Beth lied.

"That's because it went straight for your sweet tooth and never had the chance to make it to the other side," he shot back and the two of them laughed and briefly reached out to hold the other's hand, a completely innocent and loving gesture. "Well, sounds all right then, but best get to washing up and onto your studies if'n you want to be allowed to go. Alba, come on back in the living room. I want to show you a map of where you are so's you know." While Beth made quick work of putting things up and washing dishes, the McCurdy patriarch brought out several large maps and laid them out together as he explained to Alba where she'd wound up and the limits of his ranch. It was quite a bit of land, huge by city standards, but not all of it was fit for grazing and what was couldn't support too many animals too long. While they were still looking at it, Beth finished up and came to stand beside Alba then leaned over the map, her long red hair touching it before she absently pushed it back out of her face. Her hip touched the older woman's as her finger went to the map.

"Your car is -was I reckon since the hands went out to get it - right here. We rode," her finger traced the winding path, showing that instead of taking a straight line across the high mountain sides they ended up riding longer but not climbing and descending as much as they could have, making it easy on the horses and riders. Turning to look at Alba she smiled, then stepped away over to the desk and pulled out two school textbooks then took them back to the kitchen table. Soon she was elbow and pencil deep in her work, some sort of math that looked a lot like accounting and then she was reading and making notes out of a grammar book. An hour later she finished up and went back to join the two adults.

"Miss Alba, I reckon you'll be wanting to change for bed soon and wash up and such. If you want to come with me to my room I can get you situated and get you something to wear for tonight. Maybe help you put your hair up? Get you a toothbrush too - a new one," she added with a laugh. "So, would you like to come to my room?" Starved for female company, Beth's voice was eager to an almost painful edge, quite in contrast to how confident and capable she seemed outside.

 

[Sigr]

"I'd say that it could be an acquired taste, but it's nice" Alba admitted to be on the fence about it once Beth explained the process. "It's more interesting than the store bought one, at least in Boston. The taste is always a bit flat" she commented, since at least this bread tasted like something. "That would be wonderful, will can go after making a phone call so I can sort out my life a bit better" she sighed a bit, but Beth's enthusiasm was contagious and soon she was smiling thinking about ice cream and the girl's sweet tooth. Beth having to study in summer felt a bit odd to her, but it was a few years already that she had left the studies so she was no one to judge. Once Mr McCurdy started to move back to the living room, Alba looked at Beth, formed the words "Ice Cream" with her mouth and after a nod and a wink she went after her grandfather.

Being aware of her surroundings was very important for her job, and if she was really destined to those parts she wouldn't be chasing fugitives around the city, but in those same fields and roads. A stretch of terrain that would make any man a multi millionaire back in the city here it only seemed fit to break your back working on it, so it was no wonder that the McCurdys were so tough, so diligent. As Beth joined them, Alba stared at her for a moment, seeing how she brushed that red hair back, then followed her finger to the map, seeing that she had to get close to point things at her. "So this is... Snake Curl road you called it?" she asked, exercising her memory. Alba peeked a bit to see what Beth was studying, but that was far from being her forte, so as soon as she saw numbers first and grammar later, she knew that little help she could offer, so she kept her nose into the maps, learning the lay of the land.

"Yeah, it's been a long day, so it will be my pleasure..." Alba admitted how tired she was, trying to stretch out her sore body offered nothing but cramps. "You are way too nice" she complimented, following Beth to her room. The girl's personal space was as practical and industrious as she had expected, perhaps a bit too much as there weren't many traces of girly endeavors in there, plush animals and other cute things replaced by tons of rodeo ribbons. "Holy shit Beth, you certainly can ride" Alba blurted, seeing how capable she was. It seemed that horses weren't the only thing Beth was interested in, as judging from the posters around she liked movies and music as well. "It's practical but welcoming" she said, looking at how Beth-like her room was, sitting on the bed.

"Maybe it's just the marshal in me working overtime" Alba admitted, untying her Converse sneakers and removing them one by one, pushing them aside with some white ankle socks. She wriggled her toes free of their prison and started to continue making herself comfortable, leaving gun and badge on the nightstand and starting to undo her belt. "But you seemed eager about something, you can ask me anything Beth, you rescued me after all" she joked, wondering what kind of question she could have, providing that Alba was right about it. "I hope you don't mind but I want to get free of these while you pick something I can wear" Alba struggled with the waist of her skinny jeans, peeling them off her hips with a bit of trouble, revealing some red boyish briefs with a white trim on her.

 

[AnnaBeth]

"Thank you," Beth replied when Alba referenced her little I Love Myself wall. Some of the ribbons looked out of the box new and some were sun bleached and a little tatty. Interspersed among them were a few pictures of Beth posing by herself or with her grandfather, all the way back to when she couldn't have been more than 5 or 6 years old and her grandfather had to kneel to be in the picture with her. Always her grandfather though, no other family member that Alba could see. Most of the ribbons were for breakaway calf roping and tie down calf roping, though there were a few third place ones for barrel racing and a single honorable mention for bareback riding. "We don't travel around a lot the last few years, too busy, but we get about to rodeos from time to time. It's always a hoot, let me tell you."

The wall adjacent to it looked more like a normal teenage girls', full of posters of singers and celebrities - a second look would show there wasn't a single boy or man among them though; Carrie Underwood, Miranda Lambert, T-Swift, Kacey Musgraves, Faith Hill, Ashley Munro, Selena Gomez and Arianna Grande rounded up the musical side, and younger movie celebrities had a more minor role. Beth's bed rested long ways against the outside wall, more or less centered on a big push up window, and was covered with a thick cream colored blanket and had a fluffy eiderdown turned back and folded on itself at the end of the bed.

While Alba started to get undressed, Beth went through her chest of drawers and pulled out a few items, putting them in two stacks. She picked up one and turned towards Alba who was just shucking off her jeans, revealing her panties. "Oh, sorry," she said and turned away, then awkwardly turned back again and handed a stack of clothes to Alba before turning around again and needlessly fiddling with her own stack of clothes. Alba was the recpient of a long-sleeved flannel nightgown, obviously an older one of Beth's since it would be too short for her now but would fit Alba just fine. It was a washed pale pink with big white roses on it and tied at the neck with a slim satin ribbon. There was also a pair of socks, wool like the ones Beth currently wore, and a clean pair of panties, plain white cotton with a frog on the butt.

Keeping her back to Alba, Beth quickly got into her own nightgown, almost identical to Alba's except it was mint colored and had lace at the yoke and cuffs instead of a pattern. Beth's body was slender, a rail as she described it, and there wasn't much swell to her hips or her bust. The skin on her forearms and the back of her neck when she bent her head forward was a little more tan than the rest of her body but overall her complexion was typical redhead pale and the freckles on her face were evident on her back though not as thick as on her face.

Once she was done, Beth collected her dirty clothes and snagged Alba's bra as well. "You want to come with me to brush your teeth and hair?" she asked, then led Alba to the bathroom. It was small, making the two of them bump into one another as they switched positions, and there was no shower only an old claw-footed porcelain coated iron tub, a little rust in places, that had a removable showerhead on a hose attached to it. While Alba brushed her teeth with the new toothbrush Beth provided, Beth quickly hand washed Alba's bra and hung it across the edge of the towel rack to dry.

"Your hair's really pretty," she said as she watched the brush pull it out from its unkempt disarray to lay in thick, dark waves. "I love the color of it and how you think it's one color but when it moves you can see it isn't. Like, streaks only not streaks. I don't rightly know what it's called, not much of a salon around here," she laughed.

Back in the room Beth sat down cross-legged near the end of the bed. "I know Granddaddy's already drawn out your family history and all from you, and you and him swapped tales about stuff. I hope you are sincere about your offer?" she probed, a little worry in her voice. "I don't get to talk to other girls much, 'cept in town and over the internet sometimes for school stuff. I just, I don't know, I don't really know what to talk about but I do want to talk. So, um, you got a feller? I don't see a ring," she added, "but maybe you don't wear it because of your job."

 

[Sigr]

"You must be amazing with the rope, maybe you should be the one catching fugitives" Alba joked taking a look around. There were no parents in any of the pictures, making her wonder what had happened to them, but she knew better than ask. "I have never been into a rodeo, you certainly look that you are having fun in these pictures" she nodded, feeling a bit weird. Her old room back at her parents home was also littered with accolades, mostly athletics of various sorts, but she knew well that in the pictures next to them she always looked proud but not happy, never showing a smile. "There must still be a poster of Sharleen Spiteri back in my old room, parent's house" she nodded "A Dolores O'Riordan one... and Laura Pausini as well if I remember correctly, it's been a while" Alba added remembering the musicians that decorated her room.

"Don't worry, it's fine" Alba said, holding back a giggle when Beth apologized. She had scared the poor girl with her brash attitude it seemed. "I'm more than accustomed to change in front of people. When escorting a suspect or a witness you can't get away from them for even a second, so when your partner is busy you just don't care about some stuff" she tried to explain, although her attitude surprised her, maybe it was a country girl thing. The selection of clothes made Alba smile, not because they were peculiar or gave a country bumpkin aura, but because how cute they were, almost unintentionally so. "The frog is cute" she couldn't help but comment, not wanting to press the issue too much since Beth seemed uncomfortable. "Sorry for barging into your space though, you are being a lifesaver today and the first good thing that happened to me in more than a week" she admitted, changed and ready to go into the bathroom.

Even if she had done it in seconds, Alba had the chance to get a look at Beth's back, seeing that she was indeed lanky and spindly, but not enough time to notice how strong she was, distracted by the cute freckles. Staring was bad enough, but what made Alba feel bad was that briefly she was glad, at least for a split second. Not that Beth wasn't cute or anything, but it was already weird enough for the younger girl to be taller, at least Alba had her beaten in the curve department. Alba's hips were wider, and even if her bust was quite discreet, it looked bigger on her small frame. "On my way" she nodded, following Beth to the bathroom, seeing that she was taking her plain white bra.

"Oh, looks nice" Alba said walking into the quaint bathroom. Sure, it was small and rustic, but it was pretty and clean. "If I was on your place I'd end up on that tub after each ride" Alba commented, since her smaller figure would probably allow her to be a better fit to it. "I don't know how you get accustomed to that, I'm feeling sore all over" she admitted, not daring to stretch in the tiny room. "Fhank you" Alba thanked while brushing her teeth when Beth cleaned and hung her bra, as it must have been sweaty after the ordeal. "It's funny how we always admire what we don't have" Alba giggled when Beth talked about her hair. "I have been so long with it that it seems boring to me, so dark. But yours is super bright and looks amazing under the sun" she admitted, letting Beth brush her, thinking about how good it felt.

Back on the room Alba sat in front of Beth, both of them on the bed like a sleepover at a friends house, making Alba feel younger and a bit energetic despite the day she just had. "Hmm?" she doubted when Beth talked about her offer. "Oh, the talking and all, of course. We can talk about anything you want, don't worry, just us girls here" Alba leaned in, tapping Beth's knee then returning to her sitting position, mirroring Beth's. "I don't talk to girls much either, to be honest. The job in the city can be a slave driver, and most of the coworkers are male" she admitted. Alba had trouble understanding Beth when she talked about a 'feller' but asking about the ring clarified it, second time she asked about a man in Alba's life, guessing that it was normal teen girl gossip.

"No, I'm not married. Never been" Alba said a bit sulky, almost hearing her parents nag at her. "Had a few boyfriends, but always a short time, it never works" she said, about to use her job as a excuse out of habit, but stopping beforehand. "Sometimes I think I'm not made for it, you know? Romance I mean. Never felt those butterflies in the stomach and all that" she confessed, sighing shortly after it. Why was she telling all of that to Beth? It was true that she felt comfortable with the girl, but it was a bit weird, considering that- "Sorry, you wanted to talk and here I am telling you my old lady troubles" she snorted. "Are you having boyfriend troubles?" she asked, thinking that there were Beth's questions directed to.

 

[AnnaBeth]

"Not exactly," Beth answered, her blue eyes that hadn't left Alba's once while she spoke now flitting off to the side, towards where the barn and bunkhouse were if Alba remembered the lay of the ranch. "Granddaddy don't allow any flirting with the hands, not that I fancy any of them anyway. They're good workers, good men and boys, but there's never been a spark with one of them. 'sides," she drawled, "they'd only be after one or both of two things, one of which I don't intend to give out like that and the other is the ranch. When Granddaddy goes, it's all coming to me and I'll be danged if I let someone mess it up. It's been McCurdy land since before we was a state, since we was a territory really. Granddaddy's kin came up here after the war, the Civil War, and homesteaded this place. Been McCurdy land ever since with a McCurdy man seeing to it. Guess it'll be a McCurdy girl someday, but it will be McCurdy," she said, square jaw set with determination.

"Land's important. More important than a boy anyhow." Beth sighed and looked out the window, turning her snub nosed face towards it. "I don't think boys feel the same way about romance that we do anyway," she said after a moment's thought and looked back at Alba. "They're just wanting to mount up and ride, not in it for, well, the tenderness of it. The emotions." Beth smiled wanly. "If they heard me talking like this it'd be a heap of trouble, so please don't tell them I got all mushy with you, Mi- Alba," she finished and reached across to take the woman's hand and squeeze it.

That's when the bottom dropped out of her stomach. Opening up, letting down the walls she wore because of being the only girl on the place and not being around many people at all meant she never let herself think much like this, at least not around anyone else. Touching Alba's hand, her city soft and girly smooth hand, made something in Beth's tummy lurch and she felt like she was falling for a moment, then came back to herself to realize her mouth was open, her face was flushed, and she was just kind of staring. Beth took her hand back, almost jerking it, and looked startled. "Whew, got a flash all sudden like," she said and laughed nervously. "Must be more tired than I thought. How are you feeling anyway?" she asked, changing the subject. "Bet your bottom and legs are sore. You want any aspirin or something?"

 

[Sigr]

Once Beth started to talk about what Alba though would be boyfriend troubles, her blue eyes avoided hers, and Alba found herself following in their direction, noticing that she had been staring back. "Boys will be boys" Alba sighed, knowing all too well what she meant, but didn't take the land into consideration. Sure, it was a cause of hard work, but it should also be profitable, right? No wonder some men would be specially headstrong and pushy when trying to get Beth for them. She wasn't just tough and pretty, she also came with quite the big prize. "Legacy is important, I know" Alba sentenced, fully understanding where that fire to honor her family came from. Still she didn't add a word, letting Beth vent.

"I don't think so, no" Alba agreed to Beth's words, never having found a good match, but still blaming herself and her work. It had been some times were she had pursued someone out of need, out of loneliness, only to end up feeling worse. "I can understand the need though, even if it comes from a different place" she smiled sadly, one part of her feeling guilty for the times she had ended up in relations failed from the start, part of her smiling at the honesty that Beth expressed herself with. As the young girl squeezed her hand, Alba couldn't hold back a soft sigh, welcoming the touch and the notion of her finally voicing just her name, or almost managing to do it. When her family said it, Alba had a music to it, a strange note for such a short name, but when Beth said it, the melody changed completely. For once, her name sounded like it's meaning, Beth's voice infusing it with the light of the dawn.

Alba's silence went unnoticed as Beth was concerned of her own, backing off and feeling seemingly abashed, flushed. "There is no shame on getting mushy when you need it, not with me" she shook her head. "I won't tell anyone, it'll be our secret" Alba took her index finger to her lips, winking an eye. Even if she really meant it, she wanted to act a bit girly not only to relieve the sudden tension Beth seemed to feel, but to vent and get away from the serious marshal persona at least for a moment. "I do feel sore, and I have the feeling that I will feel stiff tomorrow morning, but I'm fine" Alba commented, getting up from bed so she could leave Beth rest. "You didn't see them, but I have a couple of scars that show that I've been through worse" she confessed "but that's ice cream talk, I'd say" Alba added with a smile, wanting Beth to feel at ease. "At least your couch felt soft enough, so maybe it won't be that bad" Alba commented after a stretch, ready to go to the living room but without taking a step yet to not give Beth the idea that she didn't want to listen to anything else she had to say, feeling comfortable with her.

 

[AnnaBeth]

"Wait," Beth said, voice sharper than she'd intended, almost a command, so that when Alba turned around to look at her the younger girl flushed a bit. "I mean, please?" What was she doing? Alba was sore, had to be tired and had made it clear that she wanted to go to bed. Manners had flown out the window and if her grandfather had been there her outburst would have earned a sharp look and promise of an even sharper talk to come, maybe even a hand cracking across her bottom and not in the playful way he'd mimed earlier. Definitely from another era, he didn't consider Beth too old to get her bottom tanned if she needed it, though that hadn't happened for years.

As she scooted to the edge of the bed, her nightgown pulled under her knees and clung tightly to her body, showing off her lean form but giving her curves just the slightest hint of a shape too. "Your hair," she said, reaching past Alba's neck to touch it, the cool damp weight of it heavy across her fingers though she didn't really notice it because standing this close to Alba made her feel strange again. "It'll snarl something fierce if you sleep in it like this," the girl said. "Would you, could I put it up for you? It'll give it some big loose curls since it's wet and I think that'd look nice, or we can brush them out in the morning?"

Unaware she was doing it Beth had rolled part of her lower lip into her mouth and was chewing at it with her teeth, a habit that sometimes left her lips chapped in that spot and direly in need of some beeswax lip balm. She didn't want Alba to go, not yet, and realized she was imposing on the older woman's time in a way she didn't have a right to. Alba was a woman grown, not a girl like her, and she was a marshal. Wasn't that her badge and gun over there on the nightstand? She didn't have time to sit around like they were having a slumber party or what Beth's vision of it, based on television and daydreaming, would be like. Alba had serious business to do, was already a day late and would probably be another two or three if they didn't have the belt for her car in stock in town, and didn't have time to spend playing at foolishness with a girl.

Beth knew all of that, knew all of that and dismissed it. Hard work and genetics kept her skinny but she ate her fill every meal and never went hungry, not for food, but she was starved for female companionship and knew that there were all sorts of things about being a woman that she'd never been taught or experiences she'd missed out on. YouTube hair and makeup tutorials watched clandestinely when Granddaddy thought she was studying didn't make up for it and the magazines like Cosmo on Vogue she sometimes got in town at the grocery store were confusing and showed her a life she couldn't really wrap her head around, couldn't ever have and Beth was okay with that. She just wanted, well, a girlfriend. A girlfriend she could talk to and laugh with and maybe cry over stupid stuff sometimes and spend time with and do girly stuff that she couldn't do with anyone else. Alba couldn't be her girlfriend, Beth knew that, but just for a little bit longer maybe she would pretend it was the same thing?

"I do really good braids," she added, lip popping free. "When you're out riding fence and that mane is right there in front of you, you get pretty good at it for all it makes Ace look silly. Or sometimes I do his tail too and that's longer than your hair, but not nearly as soft and pretty," she added, reaching out to touch it again. "Please? Please, Alba, and then I won't bother you the rest of the night. I know you're plumb tuckered out but I really want to and it'll save you time in the morning, won't snarl up as you sleep."

Beth left her hand across Alba's shoulder, wrist almost touching her neck, as her fingertips rubbed Alba's dark, lovely hair between them.

 

[Sigr]

"Mmhhh?" Alba turned, making a questioning hum to Beth's sudden waiting plea. She added a please as an afterthought, as if Alba, born and raised in a much poorly mannered place than that, would take offense by just a sudden call for attention. The woman just patiently waited for the girl to speak, noticing how she messed her nightgown by scooting over and ruining her demure attitude, soon distracted by her hand reaching for her hair. "My hair" she echoed, her eyes dancing back and forth between Beth's hand caressing it and how she was nervously biting, no, almost chewing on her lip. Once Beth confessed what she wanted to do, Alba felt bad for feeling the urge to laugh for a moment.

It wasn't like the moment was inherently funny, but it was about feeling relieved when Beth told her that it was just about her hair. What about such a request had her so worried, so worked up? Did Alba got across as imposing and harsh? She had trouble picturing herself as such out of work, specially with the efforts she had been making against that, but she also well knew that she could hardly control how others perceived her, specially when it came to her more aloof self. If she had learned a thing, or so she thought, about her past relationships was that she could be seen as unreachable even if she didn't mean to, and Alba knew that blaming her work was only an easy escape.

"You do really like my hair huh?" Alba asked surprised, keeping her hands to herself, not wanting to spook Beth any further. "I normally hold it with an elastic into a lazy ponytail but my scrunchies are with the rest of my stuff..." she considered. Alba didn't want to disappoint Beth, but there was something she didn't like there. "Even if I don't resent getting compared with a horse since you said my hair is soft and pretty" she started, smiling at Beth so she knew it was a joke, "I hate getting my hair braided, it makes me feel restrained and my mother used it almost as a punishment when I was small, making me stay still and pulling at my hair" she confessed, feeling oddly comfortable for a moment. Alba felt like Beth deserved that explanation if she was to refuse such a harmless offer that it seemed important for her. "I think that's part of why I always let it flow freely, a bit of the rebel in me" she added.

Alba turned around, showing her back to Beth. "But I'd be thankful if you managed to bundle it up somehow" she said, collecting her mane, showing her nape for a moment, then letting it fall into Beth's hands, grazing them. "There you go" she whispered, trusting Beth to not make her feel restrained. Alba scooted back, closer to Beth to ease her job, although with both of them on it the bed seemed smaller than it was. As Beth carefully worked in her hair, Alba slowly relaxed, leaning back more and more until she was basically resting on the taller girl. "Sorry, I must be more tired than I gave it credit" she admitted, "I hope I'm not being too much of a bother, I'll drag my limp ass to the couch when you are done" she sighed, loathing the idea of having to move.

 

[AnnaBeth]

"I really do," Beth said, enthusiasm in her voice. "It's very thick, not just the amount of it but the individual strands. Mine is so baby fine it gets all flyaway and the ends split something awful," she complained, then held up a handful of hers so Alba could see for herself. "Wind whipping at it all day doesn't help any, but lucky it grows so fast I can just trim it back every three or four weeks and get rid of them. But yours, not a lot of wind getting at it I guess and it's just...hefty? I know that's a weird word for it but I don't know one better. Hang on, let me get somet things," she said and used a hand on Alba's shoulder to get off the bed. Beth went down the hall to the bathroom and came back with a comb that had very thick, wide teeth on it and a handful of cloth scrunchies. She also had a bottle tucked under her arm that she let fall then caught with her free hand.

"Okay, lean on back," she said and undid the top of the bottle, squeezing a little foam into her hand. "Leave in conditioner," she said then looked past Alba's shoulder at her, faces close together so Beth's warm breath whispered across her face and her freckles were a connect the dot puzzle. "What? Just because I live out in the middle of the country doesn't mean I don't know a few things. YouTube taught me a lot and the general store man will order whatever you ask him to. This stuff," she sat back and began to slowly and carefully run her fingers through Alba's hare, being super careful not to pull on it, "was twenty-four dollars and boy did Granddaddy howl when the bill came in," she laughed.

It had a light, clean smell, a little hint of chemicals but not unpleasant. Soon Beth began to pull the wet comb through Alba's hair. the tines of it scratching gently at the woman's scalp. Any time Beth felt resistance she stopped, put the back of the comb between her teeth, and carefully picked apart the almost tangle with deft fingers so that Alba wouldn't feel even the slightest pull or ouch. Beth took her time, stretching the act out when really she could be done in just a few minutes.

"Alba, you said I could ask anything, right? Or tell you anything?" Pausing she shifted so she could look Alba in the eye, getting the reassurance that it was true, before going back behind the other woman and resuming her work. "You said," she began carefully, "that you felt like your mom was using it to punish you. Tugging at your hair when she didn't need to," her own fingers joined the comb in brushing through the silky strands, feeling them glide wetly over her fingers and leaving them slick with conditioner. "And maybe she was, but..." Fingers and comb went still and Beth seemed to be framing her words. "Momma's an angel in the ground out in the north pasture. We got a little plot of there all the way back since this was our spread. She died when I was real little, just a few days old, and I didn't really know her except for some pictures and what Granddaddy told me about her. It used to tear me up something fierce, but I reckon I got past most of that."

Beth fell silent and when she spoke this time her voice was real hesitant. "When I'm done, do you think maybe you could brush my hair, or maybe braid it into pigtails or something, like she woulda done? I know you're not my mom, you're way too young, but just once I'd kind of like to feel what it would have been like. You can even ouch it if you want," she said in a joke that she felt fall flat. "I mean, if it's not too weird to ask. If it is, we'll just say no more about it," she finished quickly then began to divide and pull Alba's hair into two thick ropes and started to very, very loosely fishtail them together before slipping a pretty dark green scrunchie over the end to hold it together. Beth got up off the bed and went to put the comb and conditioner on her dresser, back to Alba.

 

[Sigr]

"Split ends are a pain, but I don't get much trouble with that, true" Alba admitted, caressing Beth's hair as she held a handful, seeing how odd it felt the thin hair on such a strong girl. It grew fast, so that was always a plus. "The color is wonderful, though. So bright..." she commented, a bit bored of her darker one. In the end, it probably was just about wanting what you didn't have and not treasuring what you did. "Won't go anywhere" she said, amused at the enthusiasm Beth showed in her quick trip to the bathroom to return with the tools needed. "Oooh, that's nice" Alba admired Beth's conditioner, as she normally didn't have to care that much about her hair. The cowgirl certainly had a girly side on her that seemed bottled, untapped.

Up close, it was wondrous how expressive Beth's face was when she didn't have to worry about her behavior, at least not as much as when her grandpa was around. Her freckles were awfully cute, but she soon backed off and focused on her hair, so Alba just looked forward, occasionally letting small sighs escape, enjoying the tender and meticulous treatment Beth was offering her. "You are wicked good..." she mumbled, almost a whisper, wanting to move as little as possible to not mess things up. "Yes? I mean, yes" Beth's request of confirmation paired with the look on her blue eyes made her doubt for a moment, out of surprise, but she was open to hear anything she had to say, and answer her if possible.

"Yeah, she used to do it to keep me under control" Alba answered, back to the topic of her mother again. "She sort of wanted to shape me as she shaped my hair. Father wanted a brave boy that could follow the families' policeman legacy, mother wanted a fine lady that could get a perfect life" she explained further. "Neither of them got what they wanted" she added, noticing Beth's silence, as she was thinking of the way of saying something so Alba stopped as well. "Oh, I'm sorry" was all that Alba managed to say when Beth talked about her dead mother. Should she turn around and hug her while she was silent? Alba did want to offer a shoulder to cry if Beth needed it, but it didn't seem so, and while she doubted, Beth resumed her talking, her voice wavering.

Alba thought that it was a bit weird to ask, or at least from her point of view, but she could see where Beth was coming from. Beth certainly had to feel really lonely if she resorted to that, unless she had found an special connection with the woman she had just met hours ago. Thinking about it, Alba found herself as well talking more than she was normally used to, maybe feeling at ease with how earnest Beth was, so they certainly had found a friend on each other. "I can do braided pigtails if you want, I learned to" Alba accepted, "but pick the style you want, if you would prefer to just have it as it is, I can brush it, it's already cute" she added, offering her options.

"Oh, you did a wonderful job" Alba admired herself on the bathroom mirror before picking up the needed stuff for Beth's hairdo of choice. Returning to the bedroom, Alba couldn't help but think that her estimation of Beth's age was plain wrong and determined only for the capable cowgirl that rescued her, not the gentle and lonely one she was having a sleepover with. It was her time to be on Beth's back, treating her delicate hair as carefully as she could, not wanting to cause her any distress. "So... how are the studies going?" Alba asked, not only out of simple curiosity, but also wanting to cover some topic were Beth would maybe be confident, as she had seen how hard she worked.

Alba worked on Beth's hair, her hands moving with the utmost delicacy, as she could somehow drown all the bad things that bothered Beth by sheer tenderness, just being gentle. That lovely, responsible and smart girl didn't deserve to be that alone, to doubt so much about herself. Working on her hair Alba for a moment not only felt closer to Beth, but also understood her own mother better, as she was trying to do the same and treat that contact, that moment where she was doing her hair as if it would allow her to shape Beth's life to her liking. Alba took her sweet time, making sure that not only the work was done as well as possible, but also allowing Beth to feel the experience for quite some time. Once done, Alba got up to get a better look from above, and turning around Beth, she felt a bold impulse.

"All done" she voiced, leaning in, taking Beth's face with both hands for a moment and planting a kiss in her forehead. "Did you like it?" she asked, hoping that Beth had gotten out from her request what she wanted.

 

[AnnaBeth]

"I'm a little behind," the redhead confessed, starting to turn her head but having it steered back by Alba's hand. "Sorry. I could be graduating in December, but I don't have time to do my school work except at the end of the day, and if I've been out riding fence or seeing to the stock sometimes I'm just too tired. Or when I stay out overnight and can't get to it then I'm behind. Or when the snow is too heavy and the satellite dish won't pick up the internet satellite then I can't check in or get help. But they're making allowances for it and I can still get my high school diploma May after next. I'll only be eighteen and a bit, so that's not too bad, right?"

Beth sighed. "Granddaddy and I are going to have a real come to Jesus moment soon. He thinks I'm going off to Billings to study ag and get my college degree, that's why he bought me that shirt you saw at supper. I can't go off and leave him, or that as- that snake Walker running the place. What if something happens? 'sides, I don't nohow need a fancy college degree to run this spread. I already do the books for him and if there's something about cattle I don't know then it ain't been invented yet. So, that's that and he'll just have to get used to it," she said stubbornly and leaned her head back a little bit to let Alba work on the crown. The woman's fingers felt so good that Beth went silent, almost drifting in the pleasure of it and wished it could go on forever. It had to end of course, and she blinked when Alba asked her about it. Looking towards the mirror she saw her pigtails and beamed, positively beamed then turned back. Alba kissed her forehead and Beth felt her heart swell and her eyes got super hot and wet.

Words weren't the right way to reply, and Beth hugged herself to Alba, arms made strong by ranch work almost too tight as she pulled herself tightly to the older woman. It felt so good, so right and wonderful and it wasn't like when she hugged her grandfather. Alba was so much shorter than the old man, and her body was soft and felt wonderful, so wonderful, like she imagined a mother's would be. There was no way Alba was her mom, but the last ten minutes or so of pampering, of having her hair played with in a gentle way she'd never known sparked something deep inside the girl's heart and she was caught up in the emotions of it all. Almost a minute passed, Beth refusing to break the hug and Alba humoring her, before she squeezed tightly one last time and then let go, wiping at her pretty blue eyes with the backs of her hands then laughing nervously but not apologizing for it.

With her hair up on either side in long red pigtails Beth looked even younger, or maybe just more innocent and feminine than she did when riding a horse and helping out strangers in distress. "Thank you," she said with quiet sincerity and hugged Alba again, although this time it was brief.

"Um, Grandaddy would be upset if you slept on the couch," she said. "And I don't mind it, it's big enough and I could just throw an afghan on it as a sheet but, do you think maybe we could share my bed? If it won't put you out any? I know we could just fuss about who will sleep where, but this way we both get the bed. Maybe sleep like spoons?" Beth's bed was narrow, so narrow that the only way the two women, skinny as they were, would fit would be to snuggle up together but it would work.

"Promise not to snore," she said and crossed her hear then giggled. "Do you think that would be okay?"

 

[Sigr]

"As long as you are trying your best, and I'm certain of that, it's perfectly fine" Alba said supportive, as if she could make up for almost two decades of lacking a female figure in her life, and also wanting to show all the support she didn't receive herself. She had been wrong about the university shirt, and Beth, despite of how grown up she could act, was still a girl. "If this is the life you like, the life you want, you should chase it with all your might" Alba continued to offer the same advice she had given herself years and years ago, even if that meant having to confront her grandfather. Alba made a mental note of discover Beth's birthday, since unless she had messed heavily with directions of her new destination, she should be around the area and wanted to pay her a visit.

Alba expected Beth to like her handiwork, hoping that she had done well listening to her, talking to her, but the hug caught her by surprise, hitting her like a truck. At first she was surprised, as the stronger girl squeezed against her body in that needy embrace. Since Beth was still seated after the forehead kiss and Alba stood in front, the tall girl found herself with her head against Alba's soft bosom, while the older woman returned the embrace once the surprise faded. Alba's left hand gently rested on Beth's upper back, occasionally moving in small tender circles, while the right one almost cradled the redhead, softly caressing her hair.

In her line of work, she rarely was the bearer of bad news, as she was no normal policeman like the men of her family before her, so she hadn't been hardened nor accustomed to such sudden moments of vulnerability, of openness. Alba's dark eyes shone wet, touched by the girl's show of affection, aware that not only she had touched her life in a meaningful way, but that the girl had also reached her, made her open to talk about things she never did. Alba found herself wanting to know more, to share more, to protect that girl from anything that could happen to her and yet, she also saw herself being guided by Beth in those strange parts. It was something that lasted a fleeting moment, a feeling she couldn't identify, and faded as soon as Beth squeezed her one more time before letting go.

Alba blinked the wet away from her eyes while Beth was busy rubbing hers, standing there with a smile, letting the girl laugh and recover. "A pleasure" she honestly answered when Beth thanked her again with another shorter hug, making Alba strangely want it to last longer. "I needed that too" Alba admitted, realizing that with the changes on her job and life she had been lacking a shoulder to cry on, as she would never resort to her family for support.

The grown woman was about to protest, she wasn't going to let the poor girl sleep on the couch even if she insisted, but it seemed that she had another idea. Something distant, something weak blared in the back of her mind, telling Alba that it wasn't a good idea, that it wasn't appropriate, but it was soon silenced. Even if the girl was underage, they were going to just sleep, they were both girls after all, it was just a friendly sleepover with the twenty eight year old woman feeling youthful by having Beth close. In the end, it was an alliance between Alba's need to sleep with someone after months and months of doing it alone, her eagerness to please Beth's desires and her battered and sore body the ones that ruled out any qualms she may have.

"It should be, I'm too tired to argue otherwise" she conceded with a smile. Alba slipped in the bed, close to the edge, allowing Beth for room to get into it and accommodate herself, hugging or enveloping Alba as needed to allow for both of them to sleep in the same bed. It may end up being a bit odd, but it was a comfort that seemingly both women needed, craved, and Alba was too exhausted, physically and otherwise, to care.

 

[AnnaBeth]

Excited by the idea, Beth had a hard time waiting until Alba was in bed and almost forgot to set out a small flashlight from the drawer in the night stand, putting it beside Alba's gun and badge. She didn't touch either one of them, knowing better, but gave them a glance all the same. It was a reminder that Alba had a job, an important job, and she would be leaving but in the moment Beth was able to dismiss the possibility and continue to pretend that it was like a real slumber party. Protected by her child like enthusiasm, Beth was still smiling as she went to the wall and turned off the gas light. The mantle continued to glow for a few seconds and it was her room so she had no difficulty making it to the bed.

"I put the flashlight right by your badge," she said since Alba was facing the wall. "No moon tonight so it's going to be dark if you wake up and need to go to the bathroom. Can't just flick a switch, city girl," she teased and pulled back the blanket and sheet to slip in beside Alba. The older woman had elected to be the little spoon though Beth didn't realize it may have been for the sake of decency, or maybe she just always slept on her side that way. "Sorry," she said as she got in and squeezed up to Alba, a few moments of shifting and arranging meant that her hips, her knees, even her breasts pushed unexpectedly into the shorter woman as Beth got arranged just right. "I need to shift up a little bit," she said and reached across Alba to brace herself. By accident her hand ran across Alba's breasts, just for a moment, but there was no mistaking what she'd touched. In the dark Beth blushed as bright as her hair and she made an awkward noise in her throat but didn't say anything, just moved on quickly. Eventually she found the right arrangement, her body just enough taller than Alba's that they nestled together neatly and she was able to tuck her head over the top of Alba's, well almost, she lowered her chin and it left her forehead resting on the back of Alba's but she had so much hair it was softer than a pillow and smelled wonderful. Alba smelled wonderful, even after a day of riding and stress, so different than from how the men smelled after a day of work and Beth breathed in deeply.

"Is this okay?" she asked and her arm came across Alba's side until Beth's palm lay flat just at the top of Alba's tummy, and just below her breasts. Beth's own pressed into Alba's back and her lap cradled Alba's bottom. She shifted again, and her hand pulled Alba closer. To Beth it felt so perfect, so wonderful, better than hugging a pillow on the days she needed it. She hadn't slept with another person in, well, forever. Not since she was a tiny girl and used to sneak into Grandaddy's bed before he broke her of the habit. "I know it's cramped but it feels really nice," she said, a yawn making her words slur a little bit. "Sorry. When I lay down it's like I get all tuckered out at once."

Alba was warm, warm and soft and it just felt so good to be holding her, to snuggle with her. In the dark Beth had no problem with the smile that was on her face, or in nuzzling her nose deeper into Alba's hair. It was just like she'd imagined it would be and if it was just the two of them and not a whole passel of girls having a sleepover, so what? Maybe they were just two besties and this is what besties did, right? Still high on the feeling, Beth tilted her head up a little bit and kissed the back of Alba's head, not saying anything, and her arm drew her and Alba closer together.

 

[Sigr]

"So can't I just clap the lights on or activate them by the voice?" Alba mumbled being comfy, following Beth's joke about the light switch. "I usually don't" was all that Alba had to say about the need of going to the bathroom during the night, and she hadn't been drinking too much, so it shouldn't be a problem. "Don't be, get comfy" Alba commented when Beth excused herself slipping into her own bed. Alba was surprised when Beth brushed by her breasts while adjusting and felt tempted to make a joke, but since Beth said nothing but a little croak, she guessed that she would be embarrassed and didn't want to make her feel bad with a crass joke.

Alba could feel Beth's warm body pressing against her, thanking the presence of a lovely person there, glad that she had some human contact in those strange days. She could feel Beth breathing on not only her heaving chest, but also the air on her hair, a quite peculiar feeling that it was more soothing than distracting. On the rare occasion she had shared a bed for sleeping, the men rarely were that cuddly nor she felt quite right to cling to them, feeling like a bother. Being able to hug Beth back would require for them to be face to face, and that would be awkward, but she felt fine being cradled into her body, Beth's arm wrapped around her.

"I feel so snug, it's good" Alba whispered, letting Beth pull her, bring her close to her body and away from the doubts and voices that warned her of the inadequacy of that. "I can relate, been quite the day-" Alba echoed Beth's yawn, "oh now I got it as well" she joked. Being the little spoon had her at Beth's mercy and she couldn't quite return her caring gestures, so she let herself sink further and further into both Beth's welcoming hug and sleep, feeling a faint kiss on the back of her head. Once of her hands found Beth's on her stomach, so Alba hold it tenderly as she allowed Beth to keep her close, further from consciousness as seconds passed. "Gd nght..." Alba mumbled, almost incomprehensible, drifting into a calm that protected her from all the noise in the back of her head.