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Post by wildthing on Feb 17, 2007 16:52:50 GMT -5
Lizzy had gotten itchy in the last town she'd been in. She and Tommy had lived in it for about 8 months before she packed everything up and hit the road again. Their travels had brought them to this tiny town in Montana and it looked like a likely place to settle down for a little while. Lizzy had left Tommy and Pilot in the car while she walked around the little town to see if there were any jobs open. After two hours, she'd determined that the only open jobs were at the saloon and she would move on before working there. She had gotten a tip that there was a big ranch near town that could probably use some help, a cook or something. So she'd driven down the long dirt road, amazed at the number of cattle and horses. She had been raised on the coast, she knew ships and fish, but nothing about ranches.
She parked her beat up little red Honda and told Tommy to stay in the car. He was deaf, but he was a great lip reader. He just nodded and went back to his book. Lizzy walked up the steps of the big house and stood there for a minute. She could just leave. There were plenty of other towns out there. But she needed a job and needed a place for Tommy. This was her best shot at the moment, but it scared her to be so far away from town at the house of a stranger, a man. She swallowed her fear and knocked on the door.
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Post by Carhartt on Feb 17, 2007 17:07:47 GMT -5
Dan was in the kitchen feeding Cinch as he heard the door. Dan was wearing dark blue wranglers and white t-shirt tucked into them. He was very buff and had no fat on him bones all muscle. Dan actually didn't have his cowboy hat on so his short brown buzzed hair was showing as well as his amazing blue obtics. Dropping the food in his mouth Cinch followed with out a sound. The only sound was his feet on the wood floor. Dan had his dark brown Justin boots as they hit the wood making the thudding sounds as he walked to the door and turned the old knob and opened it.
Dan saw a pretty girl on his door steps that seemed to show her bad decision on her expression. She looked scared. Dan smiled his sweet cowboy way as he replied in his overpowering deep southern draw, [Howdy ma'am. May I help you?] He was so sweet knowing she was a bit scared. He saw her beat up car not seeing Tommy. He smiled again as he looked into her obtics and smiled politely.
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Post by wildthing on Feb 17, 2007 17:14:53 GMT -5
If she hadn't needed a job so badly, she'd have turned around as soon as the man appeared in the door. He looked about her age, dressed like a real cowboy, and far too handsome for his own good. She shifted her weight nervously, her hand going up to twirl a strand of hair nervously. Her voice had a Scottish lilt that she's never lost in all her traveling. "I talked to people in town and they said I might find a job here. I can cook and I can do all sorts of housework." She glanced out to the car nervously.
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Post by Carhartt on Feb 17, 2007 17:21:58 GMT -5
Dan slowly shifted his weight as his boot made the tapping sound on the wod once as he smiled sweetly. Cinch walked up behind him and sat next him wagging his butt, cause he had no tail. Dan was shocked she was so eager for job and he didn't even know her name. He generally would have turned her down.... But she was real pretty but that wasn't the reason..... Dan had just then saw her son and dog and smiled lightly as he shook his head in a yes. She needed this and he was going to help So he replied, [Um... Ok. You can work here under one condition. You tell me your name.] He smiled as his twangy vocals came out. His musclar arm moved up as his hand scratched his head and replied, [You wanna come in? Your son and dog can come too.] He smiled lightly. He loved kids especialy more now he had two of his own but it must be hard to be a single mom without a job and place to stay and not much money.
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Post by wildthing on Feb 17, 2007 17:29:41 GMT -5
He seemed nice, but Lizzy hadn't survived on her own for this long by trusting any good looking stranger. She looked at him with a mixture of hope and suspicion when he laid out his terms. "I'm Lizzy. Elizabeth Hawkins. And I don't want to be rude, but I'd rather know exactly what I'd be doin'." She wanted him to know right off that she would do housework and nothing else. He sounded so different than the men she was used to. His cowboy drawl sounded strange, but pleasant. "I...I'd rather not. Is there another place here that I could stay or should I rent a place in town?"
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Post by Carhartt on Feb 17, 2007 18:04:51 GMT -5
Dan took a step back and heard her words that stung. He smiled lightly and replied, [I'm Dan Kelley. Well I was gonna have you come in and I was going to show you what you need to do. I have a guest house thats epty. Its got a kitchen, two bathroom, three bedroooms, an office room, two living rooms, and wor out room. You can stay there.] He sighed as he loked at the car then back to her. She seemd not to like him much but he didn't care at all. He was more worried about her not stealing or anything. He had alot of people two him.
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Post by wildthing on Feb 17, 2007 18:17:20 GMT -5
Lizzy usually tended to rub people wrog. She'd been looking out for herself and Tommy so long that she wasn't used to help or kind strangers. Oh, I'm sorry. It sounds wonderful. I can pay a little rent. You can take it out of my paycheck. I just... I'll get Tommy." She turned and went down the steps quickly, hugging her jacket close to her though she wasn't cold. She opened the car door and Tommy looked up. "We're going to stay here for a little while. Come inside with me." She looked directly at him so he could read her lips. He nodded and put his book down. He climbed out of the car and looked around with amazement. He's had his nose in his book and hadn't been paying attention to where they'd gone. "Mom, this is a real ranch. Look at all the cows and horses! Can I ride one?" Lizzy shook her head and held the door open long enough for Pilot to hop out. The long haired tan dog had a white face with freckles. He was some golden retriever, german shepherd mix. He was a friendly mutt and wagged his tail, sniffing all the new smells excitedly. Lizzy returned with Tommy and Pilot in tow, though both were more interested in what was around them then where they were going. "This is my son, Tommy. He's deaf, but he can read lips and he talks just fine. The dog won't cause any trouble."
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Post by Carhartt on Feb 17, 2007 18:24:52 GMT -5
Hearing she wanted to pay for rent he was going to tell her not but she walked to the car to fast. he smiled as she heard her son. He heard his name and replied, [Howdy Tommy. And maybe if its ok with your mom we can get you a horse.] Dan smiled as he nelt down to let Pilot smell hjis hand as Cinch came shooting threw the door and nipped at the dog playfully and bolted into the dirt and barked for Pilot to play. Dan laughed and replied, [That's Cinch. Oh and Liz. DOn't worry about rent it's free. No money taken.] He smiled and opened the door as he smiled at Tommy. He looked outside at his ranch seeing nothing unusual and replied, [This is our house. Cinch, Trixie, Kally, and mine. Well Kinda Matt's too.] He smiled as he lead them and shut it behind them.
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Post by wildthing on Feb 17, 2007 18:37:57 GMT -5
Lizzy drew Tommy's attention away from the ranch yard with a tap on his shoulder. His eyes widened at the sight of a real cowboy. He didn't talk too much in front of strangers because his speech patterns were a little different. He'd never heard people speak before so his own speech was imperfect. But he smiled and nodded energetically. Lizzy frowned, but didn't say anything. She was proud of her indepence and was not one to take charity. To him this may have just been a way of being kind to a stranger, but she saw it as infringing on her ability to care for herself and her child. Pilot wagged his tail and yipped at Cinch, but stayed near Tommy. The pair were close. Since Tommy never stayed in one place long enough to make friends, Pilot was his best friend. Lizzy didn't have any clue who he was talking about, but she nodded and stepped inside. Tommy followed, grinning at Cinch. He loved animals of all sorts.
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Post by Carhartt on Feb 17, 2007 19:06:36 GMT -5
Dan walked into the kitchen and replied, [Need a drink or anything?] He honestly was just trying to be nice. He was very sweet and honestly never looked for more then friendship. He was to modest. He slowly poured a glass of lemonade and looked at them to see if they wanted any.
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Post by wildthing on Feb 17, 2007 19:14:18 GMT -5
Life had made Lizzy suspicious of everyone and especially distrustful of men. She shook her head, looking around at opulence she was unused to. "No thank you." But Tommy nodded his head. "Please."
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Post by Carhartt on Feb 17, 2007 19:19:17 GMT -5
Dan poured a glass for Tommy and handed it to him as he poured one for himself and replied, [You sure?] He slowlly looked at the kitrchen and replied, [We aint much need of house working but..... we need horse help and cattle help. I pay good. I can teach you.] He didn't need house work at all actually. He was out side working, Trixie was out somewhere with Matt, and Kelly was always so clean and always out side so they rarely were in the house. It wasn't hard to figure out normal horse chores and Dan was always willing to help.
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Post by wildthing on Feb 17, 2007 19:24:48 GMT -5
Tommy took the glass and nodded his thanks. He took a sip and gave Dan a thumbs up to indicate that it was good. Lizzy's eyes widened in shock. She'd never been on a horse before. "I...uh...well, I suppose I could try. But you should know I've never even seen a real ranch before."
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Post by Carhartt on Feb 17, 2007 20:10:26 GMT -5
Dan laughed and replied, [It aint much. It's kinda easy. Gotta have a drive for it though and you can't be scared, especialy from the horses. The basic are real easy to learn. Tomorrow we can start. You can settle in today.] He smiled lightly. He knew she was unsure of this all but he was trying to make it the easiest for her. [If you want you can have dinner with us.] He was being friendly thats all. Just a friendly REAL cowboy.
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Post by wildthing on Feb 17, 2007 20:17:33 GMT -5
It sounded like a ridiculous idea to her, but she needed the money and Dan didn't seem to mind that she was bringing a kid and dog with her. "I've never even been near a horse before, but I'll try." She was really pretty courageous, she was just skittish with people. She would have liked to turn him down for dinner, but even if she had a place to stay, she didn't have any groceries. "Dinner would be fine."
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