Ride The Sky 1
Written for this prompt at buckleup_meme .
"Damn it, Joe, I'm not gonna do it! Mama's been on me to go visit, and I wanted to do that this year. I can't go ridin' off over everywhea takin' cows ta get killed. I just can't do it." Len was mad. Here he was, wanting to go home after helping Joe's wife deliver their first baby, and he was ready to get back to Georgia, and his plantation.
"Please, Len, I can't do this thing without you. I can't leave Annie here with Tyler; the hands won't be no help if the baby gets sick, and I just can't leave the ranch alone that long. At least you trust your foreman. The only reason I have mine is because he's cheap, and does an okay job. Pleas, Len. Auntie Nor can take care of herself a little longer."
"No." He felt himself starting to cave and had to walk over to his horse, who was waiting not so patiently to begin the trek back to Georgia. a ride that would take at least a week, if he took it easy. He wanted to be out of here; it was too hot and dry for his tastes, and he really missed the humidity of Red Leaf.
"Please, Len. For Tyler." Len cursed; babies were a weakness alright, especially since he was a doctor as well as a plantation owner.
"Fine. But I'm hirin' the men; I won't ride with people who can't cut it." He turned and caught the tail end of Joe's grin, which made him scowl more.
"Thanks, Len. Thank you so much. Mark's got supper on the table in the bunkhouse if you want some." Annie wasn't allowed out of bed, so they'd been eating in the bunkhouse with the hands. Len knew he'd be taking some of them with him, but he needed someone who was good at roping the strays, and the only ones good at that here were the horses. So that meant he'd have to hire out.
He didn't want to do it, but damned if he wouldn't do it right.
Three days later, he had his whole group together, most of them Joe's summer help, which wasn't really needed on the ranch proper, since most of the cattle were going north. He still hadn't found a good roper, which was disappointing, because that meant he'd have to train one of the others to do it; not something he enjoyed doing.
"Y'know, Len, Elmira came out from town yesterday and said there's a drifter with a good ropin' pony at the inn," Annie said, as he continuously griped about his lack of help.
"A drifter?"
"Yeah, came from up North somewhere, near as anyone can tell," she said. "His horse is real good, though, according to Mr. Tamlin at the stables."
"Alright. Tell Joe I headed into town. I'll hopefully be back before supper."
"I will, Len. Ride safe, y'hear?"
"I hear." He bussed her cheek and headed out to saddle up Hickory, who was itching for a good ride anyway. "We're headin' inta town, Hick, so no funny stuff." Little did he know that his trip to town would change his life forever.
----------------------------------------------------
Jim Kirk was a drifter, and proud of it, at least if someone asked him. In reality, he was an out of work cowhand who kept going from place to place, hoping for a chance. However, he would only be in one place for a few months before the rumors caught up with him, the ones that said he was a murderer.
The rumors were stupid, of course; he hadn't killed Frank, the bastard had tried to kill him and ended up landing in the hay on the pitchfork. Unfortunate accident, not murder. But it was the opening his mother had been looking for. All he got to keep was Flyer, his cow pony, that he'd painstakingly trained himself, and the clothes on his back.
His mother had always blamed him for the death of his father, who had stayed behind when they were in Missouri so that his mother could escape, all because she was in labor with him. There was no love lost in that relationship: she was a terrible mother, ignoring him more often than not, so it wasn't hard to ignore her ridiculous assness.
He'd come into Enterprise looking for a job, anything, really, mostly because he knew the rumors would catch up. What he wasn't expecting was the man who came to give him the job; a tall man with longish hair and the strangest hazel eyes he'd ever seen, bright green and dark brown mixed and swirled, making him memorable.
"You Jim Kirk?" the man asked, his accent different from the locals' firm Texas drawl.
"Could be, dependin' on who's askin'," he replied, mimicking the accent perfectly, and succeeding in making the man smile a little. "Why d'you wanna know?"
"Got a job for ya, if you're lookin," the man said. "I'm Len McCoy, and I've got a cattle run up to Nebraska. You know how to rope strays?"
"Born to it, you might say," he replied easily.
"30 dollars for the whole ride," Len declared, and he gaped. 30 dollars was a hell of a lot of money, especially in little towns where a little would go a hell of a lot longer.
"30?"
"Take it or leave it, Northerner," Len said, and Jim found himself grinning.
"I'll take it." He held out a hand, gratified to feel the callouses of someone who worked hard for a living against his own equally scarred palm. "When do we leave?"
"Well, if ya come back to the ranch with me, we'll leave on Saturday. You'll have time to get stocked up, and I'll even advance ya if ya need clothes. Which you do." Len flicked him a 5-coin, and stood up from the table, looking him up and down. "Tell Elmira you need it for Saturday or Joe's running the whole operation. She'll know what you mean." With that he swept out, and Jim was left holding money with no idea of what to do with it.
Jim finally got up and went over to the general store, looking half-heartedly through the stacks of jackets and denim. He had been on trail before, but it was only through the South, and he hadn't been back to Iowa since his mom kicked him out. So he had no idea.
"Can I help you?" a woman asked, and he sighed in relief.
"Are you Elmira?"
"Sure am! Lemme guess, Len sent you over here to get outfitted."
"How'd you know?"
"This is a small town, honey. You're a stranger, and Len don't live around here no way, so y'all are prime gossip. Come on. you got a hat?"
"Yeah, it's back in my rooms, but yeah." He followed the woman, who bustled down the aisles after giving him a thorough looking over. He felt mildly violated, but didn't say anything; everything she was pulling off was about the size he would've picked himself, though the pants were a mite tight for his normal style. By the time she was done, he would have spent nearly all of the 5 coin.
"Let's get you signed out," she said cheerfully, and he had to do something; that was far too many clothes, and he didn't have room for them in his bags.
"I don't have room for all that in my saddlebags," he said, hating that his voice squeaked slightly.
"You ain't gonna carry this in your saddlebags, son!" she exclaimed. "What do you take me for? I outfit all the men on their winter runs into the mountains. You'll have room in the Chuck wagon for your things, and this won't even make a dent. So hush your whinin' and pay up!" He laughed; if she didn't scare him so much, he'd probably like her. He dutifully paid, and got back far more than what he expected. When he tried to protest she chased him out of the building. He carried the huge bag of clothing back to his rooms, and realized he had enough left from the 5 and the money he already had to get a decent saddle, which cost nearly a hundred dollars, which took most of his savings.
He carried his saddle back to his rooms, and found Len waiting for him.
"You ready, kid?" He nodded; he wanted to be back on the trail.
(On to Chapter 2)
"Damn it, Joe, I'm not gonna do it! Mama's been on me to go visit, and I wanted to do that this year. I can't go ridin' off over everywhea takin' cows ta get killed. I just can't do it." Len was mad. Here he was, wanting to go home after helping Joe's wife deliver their first baby, and he was ready to get back to Georgia, and his plantation.
"Please, Len, I can't do this thing without you. I can't leave Annie here with Tyler; the hands won't be no help if the baby gets sick, and I just can't leave the ranch alone that long. At least you trust your foreman. The only reason I have mine is because he's cheap, and does an okay job. Pleas, Len. Auntie Nor can take care of herself a little longer."
"No." He felt himself starting to cave and had to walk over to his horse, who was waiting not so patiently to begin the trek back to Georgia. a ride that would take at least a week, if he took it easy. He wanted to be out of here; it was too hot and dry for his tastes, and he really missed the humidity of Red Leaf.
"Please, Len. For Tyler." Len cursed; babies were a weakness alright, especially since he was a doctor as well as a plantation owner.
"Fine. But I'm hirin' the men; I won't ride with people who can't cut it." He turned and caught the tail end of Joe's grin, which made him scowl more.
"Thanks, Len. Thank you so much. Mark's got supper on the table in the bunkhouse if you want some." Annie wasn't allowed out of bed, so they'd been eating in the bunkhouse with the hands. Len knew he'd be taking some of them with him, but he needed someone who was good at roping the strays, and the only ones good at that here were the horses. So that meant he'd have to hire out.
He didn't want to do it, but damned if he wouldn't do it right.
Three days later, he had his whole group together, most of them Joe's summer help, which wasn't really needed on the ranch proper, since most of the cattle were going north. He still hadn't found a good roper, which was disappointing, because that meant he'd have to train one of the others to do it; not something he enjoyed doing.
"Y'know, Len, Elmira came out from town yesterday and said there's a drifter with a good ropin' pony at the inn," Annie said, as he continuously griped about his lack of help.
"A drifter?"
"Yeah, came from up North somewhere, near as anyone can tell," she said. "His horse is real good, though, according to Mr. Tamlin at the stables."
"Alright. Tell Joe I headed into town. I'll hopefully be back before supper."
"I will, Len. Ride safe, y'hear?"
"I hear." He bussed her cheek and headed out to saddle up Hickory, who was itching for a good ride anyway. "We're headin' inta town, Hick, so no funny stuff." Little did he know that his trip to town would change his life forever.
----------------------------------------------------
Jim Kirk was a drifter, and proud of it, at least if someone asked him. In reality, he was an out of work cowhand who kept going from place to place, hoping for a chance. However, he would only be in one place for a few months before the rumors caught up with him, the ones that said he was a murderer.
The rumors were stupid, of course; he hadn't killed Frank, the bastard had tried to kill him and ended up landing in the hay on the pitchfork. Unfortunate accident, not murder. But it was the opening his mother had been looking for. All he got to keep was Flyer, his cow pony, that he'd painstakingly trained himself, and the clothes on his back.
His mother had always blamed him for the death of his father, who had stayed behind when they were in Missouri so that his mother could escape, all because she was in labor with him. There was no love lost in that relationship: she was a terrible mother, ignoring him more often than not, so it wasn't hard to ignore her ridiculous assness.
He'd come into Enterprise looking for a job, anything, really, mostly because he knew the rumors would catch up. What he wasn't expecting was the man who came to give him the job; a tall man with longish hair and the strangest hazel eyes he'd ever seen, bright green and dark brown mixed and swirled, making him memorable.
"You Jim Kirk?" the man asked, his accent different from the locals' firm Texas drawl.
"Could be, dependin' on who's askin'," he replied, mimicking the accent perfectly, and succeeding in making the man smile a little. "Why d'you wanna know?"
"Got a job for ya, if you're lookin," the man said. "I'm Len McCoy, and I've got a cattle run up to Nebraska. You know how to rope strays?"
"Born to it, you might say," he replied easily.
"30 dollars for the whole ride," Len declared, and he gaped. 30 dollars was a hell of a lot of money, especially in little towns where a little would go a hell of a lot longer.
"30?"
"Take it or leave it, Northerner," Len said, and Jim found himself grinning.
"I'll take it." He held out a hand, gratified to feel the callouses of someone who worked hard for a living against his own equally scarred palm. "When do we leave?"
"Well, if ya come back to the ranch with me, we'll leave on Saturday. You'll have time to get stocked up, and I'll even advance ya if ya need clothes. Which you do." Len flicked him a 5-coin, and stood up from the table, looking him up and down. "Tell Elmira you need it for Saturday or Joe's running the whole operation. She'll know what you mean." With that he swept out, and Jim was left holding money with no idea of what to do with it.
Jim finally got up and went over to the general store, looking half-heartedly through the stacks of jackets and denim. He had been on trail before, but it was only through the South, and he hadn't been back to Iowa since his mom kicked him out. So he had no idea.
"Can I help you?" a woman asked, and he sighed in relief.
"Are you Elmira?"
"Sure am! Lemme guess, Len sent you over here to get outfitted."
"How'd you know?"
"This is a small town, honey. You're a stranger, and Len don't live around here no way, so y'all are prime gossip. Come on. you got a hat?"
"Yeah, it's back in my rooms, but yeah." He followed the woman, who bustled down the aisles after giving him a thorough looking over. He felt mildly violated, but didn't say anything; everything she was pulling off was about the size he would've picked himself, though the pants were a mite tight for his normal style. By the time she was done, he would have spent nearly all of the 5 coin.
"Let's get you signed out," she said cheerfully, and he had to do something; that was far too many clothes, and he didn't have room for them in his bags.
"I don't have room for all that in my saddlebags," he said, hating that his voice squeaked slightly.
"You ain't gonna carry this in your saddlebags, son!" she exclaimed. "What do you take me for? I outfit all the men on their winter runs into the mountains. You'll have room in the Chuck wagon for your things, and this won't even make a dent. So hush your whinin' and pay up!" He laughed; if she didn't scare him so much, he'd probably like her. He dutifully paid, and got back far more than what he expected. When he tried to protest she chased him out of the building. He carried the huge bag of clothing back to his rooms, and realized he had enough left from the 5 and the money he already had to get a decent saddle, which cost nearly a hundred dollars, which took most of his savings.
He carried his saddle back to his rooms, and found Len waiting for him.
"You ready, kid?" He nodded; he wanted to be back on the trail.
(On to Chapter 2)