Rawhide Chapter 1
Title: Rawhide
Author: PetiteMiel
Pairing: Jack/Ennis
Rating: NC-17(eventually)
Warning: Contains harsh language, violence, m/m sexual encounters.
Disclaimer: All characters from Brokeback Mountain belong to Ann Proulx. I am just borrowing them and make no money from their use. No copyright infringement is intended. All other characters are mine.
Summary: Au!Au. This story takes place in 1867. Ennis is an eighteen year old wrangler at the Triple T Ranch in Texas where Jack, a sixteen year old runaway is hired for the upcoming cattle drive to Montana.
AN:This is the first time I've written BBM fanfic. The story is un beta'd so all errors are mine.
Arlene, Texas
Spring, 1867
Ennis leaned down beside his tan gelding lifting up the horses front leg spying some mud and stones embedded in the horses hoof. He scooped it out, tossing it on the ground grumbling to himself as he wiped his hand clean upon his thigh. He set the horses leg down as he squatted beside the animal running his hands slowly over the leg checking for heat. It was cool to the touch with no sign of injury and he decided it was most likely the stones that had the horse favoring that leg. Still it wouldn’t do to have the horse go lame so he reckoned he’d have to keep an eye on it just to be safe.
The horse was the only thing of real value that Ennis owned and he’d raised him from a colt. He’d been taught not to be sentimental where animals were concerned but with all his family gone Dakota was the only thing he had left in the world and he wasn’t gonna risk losing him.
“Howdy.”
The sound of the unfamiliar voice brought Ennis from his thoughts and to his feet as he moved around Dakota patting the horse softly on the neck as he went. He eyed the stranger for a second taking in the young man’s disheveled black hair and handsome face. His tired expression did nothing to mar his good looks nor did the dusty clothes which hung on his tall frame as if he hadn’t eaten enough lately to keep them filled out proper but it was his eyes that kept Ennis from answering right away.
The blueness of them was like nothing Ennis had ever seen before. Not quite the color of the summer sky or a mountain lake but something deeper and warmer with a strength that seemed to reach out and hold Ennis in place as if he’d been lassoed.
He stared for a moment longer then shook off the feeling, clearing his throat before he finally spoke.
“Somethin’ I can help ya with?” His voice was low and rough but not unfriendly and Jack shivered slightly as it seemed to vibrate through him, his smile wavering a bit at this before he answered.
“Ah…yeah, I’m lookin’ for work. The fella that runs the mercantile in town said I might find some here.” He replied, his eyes glued to the other man, liking everything about the look of him.
“Mmm…Red does all the hirin’. He’s inside.” Ennis replied motioning behind him.
“Thank ya.”
Ennis turned to watch the boy as he stepped around the horse and headed into the stable. He let his eyes wash over him, feeling a familiar ache inside as he did so, his look lingering a bit too long before he turned away.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Excuse me sir. Are you Red?”
“The one and only.” The other man said cheerfully as he set his saddle on the back of a pretty little palomino and proceeded to tighten the cinch. “What can I do ya for?”
“My names Jack Twist and I was told you might be hirin’.”
Red finished fiddling with the saddle then turned toward Jack. He narrowed his eyes sizing the boy up then scratched his head behind his ear.
“Well the boss did tell me to hire a couple more men for the drive but I’m not sure ya qualify. How old are you boy?”
Jack stood up straight, his shoulders back and his face taking on a determined expression as he looked at the other man. “I’ll be eighteen.”
Red’s right eyebrow disappeared into his hairline and he leaned forward resting his arms on the railing in front of him, staring the boy down as he tried not to smile.
“Uh…in two years.” Jack added shyly, the other man’s demeanor unnerving him somewhat.
“Two years huh?”
“Well…I’ll be sixteen in another month. So more or less…but that’s old enough. Don’t ya think?” Jack asked hopefully.
The other man laughed suddenly the stern expression on his face falling away. “I guess we’ll find out.”
“Thank ya sir.” Jack answered his smile lighting up his face.
“Now hold on, hold on lets not get ahead of ourselves. Somethin’ ya need to know. We’re fixin’ to start the roundup in a couple of days and then a week or so after that we’ll be takin’ the herd on up to Montana. With all the homesteaders up there Mr. Taylor figures they’ll be a good market for his stock. Ya think ya can handle going up North a piece?”
“Montana? Yes sir.” Jack replied his eyes wide with the thought of traveling so far from home.
“Course I got a couple a conditions now before I can hire ya. ” Red added quickly.
“One, ya stop calling me sir. My name’s Daryl Murphy but everyone just calls me Red cause of this mop of red hair I got. The other condition is that ya show me that ya can ride worth a damn. This ain’t the kinda work for someone who can’t handle himself on a horse.”
“Yes sir…I…I mean Red. Only…thing is I…I don’t exactly got a horse.” Jack said looking down at the ground until the sound of the other man’s laughter made him look up.
“Boy if you don’t beat all. How’d ya git here?”
“I walked.”
“From where?”
“Town.”
“Hell, Arlene’s ten miles from here”
Jack didn’t speak just shrugged his shoulders and Red took a closer look at the boy deciding he might have more grit then he’d previously thought.
“Well I guess it wouldn’t be right to turn ya away without givin’ ya a chance after ya done all that walkin’ to git here. Besides we always got extra horses. Come on.”
They headed out of the stable, Jack sighing in relief as he followed close behind the older man.
“Ennis, this here’s Jack Twist. Jack this is Ennis delMar.”
Jack nodded to the man he’d spoken to only moments before, noting the differences between him and Red as the two men stood side by side.
They were both tall but Red was broad and thick while Ennis was lean. Red’s hair was a shock of crimson and straight as an arrow while Ennis had blonde curls reminding Jack of a picture he’d seen once of an angel. Red’s green eyes seemed to dance when he smiled his face animated when he talked while Ennis’ brown eyes left Jack feeling calm and somehow soothed.
“Ennis been workin’ here for about six months now and he knows everythin’ there is to know about horses and then some.” Red went on causing Ennis to lower his head embarrassed by the praise, a small blush rising to his cheeks.
“He’ll help ya find a mount and get it saddled. When I come back I’ll take ya out and see what ya can do.” Red finished, clapping Jack on the shoulder as he walked toward the bunkhouse leaving the two younger men alone.
They stared at each other for a moment then Jack looked away suddenly feeling shy, Ennis doing the same. Then lifting the rope from his saddle Ennis said, “Come on” as he turned toward the corral.
“See one ya like?” He asked watching as Jack set the small ditty bag he’d been carryin’ on the ground and leapt up on the bottom rail smilin’ at the twenty or so horses milling around in front of him.
“What about that brown mare? She sure is purty.”
“Ya got a good eye.” Ennis replied making Jack smile even wider.
“What’s her name?” Jack asked as Ennis leaned his forearms against the top rail beside him.
“Acorn.”
“Acorn?” Jack laughed softly.
“Yeah, the bosses daughter named her. Ya think ya can git her on your own?” Ennis asked.
Jack looked at him and grinned wide as he took the rope from Ennis’ hand feeling there was a challenge to be met. He climbed into the corral, swinging the rope in a wide arc over his head, the horses shifting slowly away from him moving as one but the rope found it’s target and he had Acorn lassoed in one try.
Ennis climbed into the adjoining corral, lifting the latch as he swung the gate between the two wide. The other horses moved in around him undisturbed by his presence leaving Jack and the mare alone. Jack stepped toward the horse talking softly as he stroked her neck to keep her from getting spooked.
“I’ll git ya a saddle.” Ennis said as he closed the gate again and headed back to the stable assured by Jack’s behavior that the horse was in good hands.
A few minutes later Jack had the mare ready to ride. He slipped his foot into the stirrup and threw his other leg over the horses back but as soon as his butt hit the saddle she started to buck underneath him. He grabbed the reins moving with the horse as she arched upward, his legs tightening their grip on either side of the animal as the horse’s body bowed testing her rider’s mettle.
He held on, the horse lifting herself right off the ground as she jumped around the corral but she couldn’t shake him loose.
Ennis stood at the railing mesmerized by the sight, his heart pounding in his chest, unable to take his eyes off Jack. There was just something about the way his body moved atop that horse, the way his hips pulled forward, the way his back arched that reminded Ennis of flowing water in a mountain stream suddenly hitting rapids and having no choice but to ride the current rather then fight against it.
A couple of minutes later Acorn settled down snorting and stamping at the ground as Jack got her under control.
“Whoo Whee! She’s a lively little filly.” Jack said as he rode her round the corral a couple of times before heading to the gate.
“Sorry about that bud. Shoulda told ya she’s newly broke. She’s still got a real low startle point.” Ennis replied suddenly feeling bad for not giving him fair warning.
“Aw… don’t worry about it Ennis. There ain’t a horse alive that can throw me.” Jack answered, his smile growing wide a feeling of pride spreading through him as he was praised by several of the ranch hands who’d stopped to watch the show.
Red stood beside the corral watching Jack, smiling at the kid’s words but not saying a thing. He had once been that young and like Jack he had, had a need to prove himself especially to men older and more experienced then himself. Someone had given him that chance and Red figured it was his turn to do the same for Jack.
He mounted his own horse then and led Jack out of the compound toward the herd figuring if Jack was half as good with herding cattle as he was with that filly it would work out fine.
TBC
Author: PetiteMiel
Pairing: Jack/Ennis
Rating: NC-17(eventually)
Warning: Contains harsh language, violence, m/m sexual encounters.
Disclaimer: All characters from Brokeback Mountain belong to Ann Proulx. I am just borrowing them and make no money from their use. No copyright infringement is intended. All other characters are mine.
Summary: Au!Au. This story takes place in 1867. Ennis is an eighteen year old wrangler at the Triple T Ranch in Texas where Jack, a sixteen year old runaway is hired for the upcoming cattle drive to Montana.
AN:This is the first time I've written BBM fanfic. The story is un beta'd so all errors are mine.
Arlene, Texas
Spring, 1867
Ennis leaned down beside his tan gelding lifting up the horses front leg spying some mud and stones embedded in the horses hoof. He scooped it out, tossing it on the ground grumbling to himself as he wiped his hand clean upon his thigh. He set the horses leg down as he squatted beside the animal running his hands slowly over the leg checking for heat. It was cool to the touch with no sign of injury and he decided it was most likely the stones that had the horse favoring that leg. Still it wouldn’t do to have the horse go lame so he reckoned he’d have to keep an eye on it just to be safe.
The horse was the only thing of real value that Ennis owned and he’d raised him from a colt. He’d been taught not to be sentimental where animals were concerned but with all his family gone Dakota was the only thing he had left in the world and he wasn’t gonna risk losing him.
“Howdy.”
The sound of the unfamiliar voice brought Ennis from his thoughts and to his feet as he moved around Dakota patting the horse softly on the neck as he went. He eyed the stranger for a second taking in the young man’s disheveled black hair and handsome face. His tired expression did nothing to mar his good looks nor did the dusty clothes which hung on his tall frame as if he hadn’t eaten enough lately to keep them filled out proper but it was his eyes that kept Ennis from answering right away.
The blueness of them was like nothing Ennis had ever seen before. Not quite the color of the summer sky or a mountain lake but something deeper and warmer with a strength that seemed to reach out and hold Ennis in place as if he’d been lassoed.
He stared for a moment longer then shook off the feeling, clearing his throat before he finally spoke.
“Somethin’ I can help ya with?” His voice was low and rough but not unfriendly and Jack shivered slightly as it seemed to vibrate through him, his smile wavering a bit at this before he answered.
“Ah…yeah, I’m lookin’ for work. The fella that runs the mercantile in town said I might find some here.” He replied, his eyes glued to the other man, liking everything about the look of him.
“Mmm…Red does all the hirin’. He’s inside.” Ennis replied motioning behind him.
“Thank ya.”
Ennis turned to watch the boy as he stepped around the horse and headed into the stable. He let his eyes wash over him, feeling a familiar ache inside as he did so, his look lingering a bit too long before he turned away.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Excuse me sir. Are you Red?”
“The one and only.” The other man said cheerfully as he set his saddle on the back of a pretty little palomino and proceeded to tighten the cinch. “What can I do ya for?”
“My names Jack Twist and I was told you might be hirin’.”
Red finished fiddling with the saddle then turned toward Jack. He narrowed his eyes sizing the boy up then scratched his head behind his ear.
“Well the boss did tell me to hire a couple more men for the drive but I’m not sure ya qualify. How old are you boy?”
Jack stood up straight, his shoulders back and his face taking on a determined expression as he looked at the other man. “I’ll be eighteen.”
Red’s right eyebrow disappeared into his hairline and he leaned forward resting his arms on the railing in front of him, staring the boy down as he tried not to smile.
“Uh…in two years.” Jack added shyly, the other man’s demeanor unnerving him somewhat.
“Two years huh?”
“Well…I’ll be sixteen in another month. So more or less…but that’s old enough. Don’t ya think?” Jack asked hopefully.
The other man laughed suddenly the stern expression on his face falling away. “I guess we’ll find out.”
“Thank ya sir.” Jack answered his smile lighting up his face.
“Now hold on, hold on lets not get ahead of ourselves. Somethin’ ya need to know. We’re fixin’ to start the roundup in a couple of days and then a week or so after that we’ll be takin’ the herd on up to Montana. With all the homesteaders up there Mr. Taylor figures they’ll be a good market for his stock. Ya think ya can handle going up North a piece?”
“Montana? Yes sir.” Jack replied his eyes wide with the thought of traveling so far from home.
“Course I got a couple a conditions now before I can hire ya. ” Red added quickly.
“One, ya stop calling me sir. My name’s Daryl Murphy but everyone just calls me Red cause of this mop of red hair I got. The other condition is that ya show me that ya can ride worth a damn. This ain’t the kinda work for someone who can’t handle himself on a horse.”
“Yes sir…I…I mean Red. Only…thing is I…I don’t exactly got a horse.” Jack said looking down at the ground until the sound of the other man’s laughter made him look up.
“Boy if you don’t beat all. How’d ya git here?”
“I walked.”
“From where?”
“Town.”
“Hell, Arlene’s ten miles from here”
Jack didn’t speak just shrugged his shoulders and Red took a closer look at the boy deciding he might have more grit then he’d previously thought.
“Well I guess it wouldn’t be right to turn ya away without givin’ ya a chance after ya done all that walkin’ to git here. Besides we always got extra horses. Come on.”
They headed out of the stable, Jack sighing in relief as he followed close behind the older man.
“Ennis, this here’s Jack Twist. Jack this is Ennis delMar.”
Jack nodded to the man he’d spoken to only moments before, noting the differences between him and Red as the two men stood side by side.
They were both tall but Red was broad and thick while Ennis was lean. Red’s hair was a shock of crimson and straight as an arrow while Ennis had blonde curls reminding Jack of a picture he’d seen once of an angel. Red’s green eyes seemed to dance when he smiled his face animated when he talked while Ennis’ brown eyes left Jack feeling calm and somehow soothed.
“Ennis been workin’ here for about six months now and he knows everythin’ there is to know about horses and then some.” Red went on causing Ennis to lower his head embarrassed by the praise, a small blush rising to his cheeks.
“He’ll help ya find a mount and get it saddled. When I come back I’ll take ya out and see what ya can do.” Red finished, clapping Jack on the shoulder as he walked toward the bunkhouse leaving the two younger men alone.
They stared at each other for a moment then Jack looked away suddenly feeling shy, Ennis doing the same. Then lifting the rope from his saddle Ennis said, “Come on” as he turned toward the corral.
“See one ya like?” He asked watching as Jack set the small ditty bag he’d been carryin’ on the ground and leapt up on the bottom rail smilin’ at the twenty or so horses milling around in front of him.
“What about that brown mare? She sure is purty.”
“Ya got a good eye.” Ennis replied making Jack smile even wider.
“What’s her name?” Jack asked as Ennis leaned his forearms against the top rail beside him.
“Acorn.”
“Acorn?” Jack laughed softly.
“Yeah, the bosses daughter named her. Ya think ya can git her on your own?” Ennis asked.
Jack looked at him and grinned wide as he took the rope from Ennis’ hand feeling there was a challenge to be met. He climbed into the corral, swinging the rope in a wide arc over his head, the horses shifting slowly away from him moving as one but the rope found it’s target and he had Acorn lassoed in one try.
Ennis climbed into the adjoining corral, lifting the latch as he swung the gate between the two wide. The other horses moved in around him undisturbed by his presence leaving Jack and the mare alone. Jack stepped toward the horse talking softly as he stroked her neck to keep her from getting spooked.
“I’ll git ya a saddle.” Ennis said as he closed the gate again and headed back to the stable assured by Jack’s behavior that the horse was in good hands.
A few minutes later Jack had the mare ready to ride. He slipped his foot into the stirrup and threw his other leg over the horses back but as soon as his butt hit the saddle she started to buck underneath him. He grabbed the reins moving with the horse as she arched upward, his legs tightening their grip on either side of the animal as the horse’s body bowed testing her rider’s mettle.
He held on, the horse lifting herself right off the ground as she jumped around the corral but she couldn’t shake him loose.
Ennis stood at the railing mesmerized by the sight, his heart pounding in his chest, unable to take his eyes off Jack. There was just something about the way his body moved atop that horse, the way his hips pulled forward, the way his back arched that reminded Ennis of flowing water in a mountain stream suddenly hitting rapids and having no choice but to ride the current rather then fight against it.
A couple of minutes later Acorn settled down snorting and stamping at the ground as Jack got her under control.
“Whoo Whee! She’s a lively little filly.” Jack said as he rode her round the corral a couple of times before heading to the gate.
“Sorry about that bud. Shoulda told ya she’s newly broke. She’s still got a real low startle point.” Ennis replied suddenly feeling bad for not giving him fair warning.
“Aw… don’t worry about it Ennis. There ain’t a horse alive that can throw me.” Jack answered, his smile growing wide a feeling of pride spreading through him as he was praised by several of the ranch hands who’d stopped to watch the show.
Red stood beside the corral watching Jack, smiling at the kid’s words but not saying a thing. He had once been that young and like Jack he had, had a need to prove himself especially to men older and more experienced then himself. Someone had given him that chance and Red figured it was his turn to do the same for Jack.
He mounted his own horse then and led Jack out of the compound toward the herd figuring if Jack was half as good with herding cattle as he was with that filly it would work out fine.
TBC